Pope Opposes Harry Potter Novels - Signed Letters from Cardinal Ratzinger Now Online

LifeSiteNews.com ^ | July 13, 2005 | LifeSiteNews.com

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Pope Opposes Harry Potter Novels - Signed Letters from Cardinal Ratzinger Now Online

RIMSTING, Germany, July 13, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) - LifeSiteNews.com has obtained and made available online copies of two letters sent by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who was recently elected Pope, to a German critic of the Harry Potter novels. In March 2003, a month after the English press throughout the world falsely proclaimed that Pope John Paul II approved of Harry Potter, the man who was to become his successor sent a letter to a Gabriele Kuby outlining his agreement with her opposition to J.K. Rowling's offerings. (See below for links to scanned copies of the letters signed by Cardinal Ratzinger.)

As the sixth issue of Rowling's Harry Potter series - Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - is about to be released, the news that Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger expressed serious reservations about the novels is now finally being revealed to the English-speaking world still under the impression the Vatican approves the Potter novels.

In a letter dated March 7, 2003 Cardinal Ratzinger thanked Kuby for her "instructive" book Harry Potter - gut oder böse (Harry Potter- good or evil?), in which Kuby says the Potter books corrupt the hearts of the young, preventing them from developing a properly ordered sense of good and evil, thus harming their relationship with God while that relationship is still in its infancy.

"It is good, that you enlighten people about Harry Potter, because those are subtle seductions, which act unnoticed and by this deeply distort Christianity in the soul, before it can grow properly," wrote Cardinal Ratzinger.

The letter also encouraged Kuby to send her book on Potter to the Vatican prelate who quipped about Potter during a press briefing which led to the false press about the Vatican support of Potter. At a Vatican press conference to present a study document on the New Age in April 2003, one of the presenters - Fr. Peter Fleedwood - made a positive comment on the Harry Potter books in response to a question from a reporter. Headlines such as "Pope Approves Potter" (Toronto Star), "Pope Sticks Up for Potter Books" (BBC), "Harry Potter Is Ok With The Pontiff" (Chicago Sun Times) and "Vatican: Harry Potter's OK with us" (CNN Asia) littered the mainstream media.

In a second letter sent to Kuby on May 27, 2003, Cardinal Ratzinger "gladly" gave his permission to Kuby to make public "my judgement about Harry Potter."

The most prominent Potter critic in North America, Catholic novelist and painter Michael O'Brien commented to LifeSiteNews.com on the "judgement" of now-Pope Benedict saying, "This discernment on the part of Benedict XVI reveals the Holy Father's depth and wide ranging gifts of spiritual discernment." O'Brien, author of a book dealing with fantasy literature for children added, "it is consistent with many of the statements he's been making since his election to the Chair of Peter, indeed for the past 20 years - a probing accurate read of the massing spiritual warfare that is moving to a new level of struggle in western civilization. He is a man in whom a prodigious intellect is integrated with great spiritual gifts. He is the father of the universal church and we would do well to listen to him."

English translations of the two letters by Cardinal Ratzinger follow:

Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger Vatican City March 7, 2003

Esteemed and dear Ms. Kuby!

Many thanks for your kind letter of February 20th and the informative book which you sent me in the same mail. It is good, that you enlighten people about Harry Potter, because those are subtle seductions, which act unnoticed and by this deeply distort Christianity in the soul, before it can grow properly.

I would like to suggest that you write to Mr. Peter Fleedwood, (Pontifical Council of Culture, Piazza S. Calisto 16, I00153 Rome) directly and to send him your book.

Sincere Greetings and Blessings,

+ Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger

=======================

Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger Vatican City May 27, 2003

Esteemed and dear Ms. Kuby,

Somehow your letter got buried in the large pile of name-day , birthday and Easter mail. Finally this pile is taken care of, so that I can gladly allow you to refer to my judgment about Harry Potter.

Sincere Greetings and Blessings,

+ Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger

Links to the scanned copies of the two signed letters by Cardinal Ratzinger (in German) - In PDF format: http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2005_docs/ratzingerletter.pdf http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2005_docs/ratzingerpermission.pdf

jhw

[JenB]

Was it really necessary to post that at her?

And do you realize the laughter that the line "Christ in the poop" provokes? Ok, so I guess it's referring to a ship but man, they ought to reword that.

[Modernman]

Good luck. I'm as likely to believe in the existence of magical powers as I am to believe in new age claptrap.

[Quinotto]

Since the last elections I have been making active and subjective choices when it comes to my purchases by trying to use the so-called "red" companies. BAM is a very "red" company and the fact that they turned out to have excellent prices on their books was quite a joy. Same with Progressive insurance whose CEO is a hardcore Democrat and donated 100% to the DNC, I left them in January and got better rates for my auto/home with someone else.

[JenB]

Heh... fans of the books don't much like the first two movies. The first movie in particular did a lousy job of conveying the sense of wonder that's the real draw to her world.

[Modernman]

A "self-important Hillary"? That's the best you can do?

Not really. But, unlike you, I don't get my posts pulled, either.

[Oztrich Boy]

NO ONE CALLED FOR THE BANNING OR CENSORSHIP OF THESE BOOKS.

That's what I'm not understanding. If HP is as evil as the god-struck say he is, why the frilly heck not?

[Politicalmom]

What does that have to do with post 578, in which you said you
were not perpetuating lies?

[Corin Stormhands]

But yes, satanists, witches and warlocks can cast spells and curse people.

And those same people would laugh at you for taking the spells and potions in Harry Potter seriously.

[Quinotto]

I remember when I was a little girl and being read old fairy tales and the majority had magic in them: Cinderella, Snow White, Three Little Pigs, Little Red Riding Hood, talking animals, fashion obsessed kings, a gingerbread house, mice and pumpkins turnned into horses and carriage, frogs in need of kisses and so on...and I knew that it was all just a fairy tale, nothing real and my mind was not under siege by evil forces since my soul belonged to Christ from a young age. You see, it's not about desensitizing to the occult because once you have on Christ as an armor, nothing can touch you!

[PetroniusMaximus]

***Good luck. ***

Do you believe in God?

[DarkSavant]

Physcial, scientific evidence that has been reviewed by disinterested experts.

Pure physical evidence for something that is spiritual in nature? I can give you evidence of that sort the same time a rock is proved to exist based on the evidence of Cognitive, metaphysical evidence that has been reviewed by disinterested philosophers.

[DameAutour]

That's what I'm not understanding. If HP is as evil as the god-struck say he is, why the frilly heck not?

Quite frankly, your use of the term "god-struck" indicates your unwillingness to have any kind of proper discussion with someone who disagrees with you. You wouldn't understand.

[Oztrich Boy]

But yes, satanists, witches and warlocks can cast spells and curse people. Yes indeedy.

Glendower: "I can call the spirits from the vasty deep."
Hotspur: "Why, so can I, or so can any man; but will they come when you do call for them?"

[franky]

From Bible History:

http://bible-history.com/isbe/M/MAGI,+THE/

"The Magi even in Herodotus' time had gained a reputation for "magic" articles (compare Acts 13:6,8). They also studied astrology and astronomy (rationes mundani motus et siderum (Amm. Marc., xxiii.6, 32)), partly learned from Babylon."

http://bible-history.com/smiths/M/Magi/

"It is with such men that, we have to think of Daniel and his fellow exiles as associated. The office which Daniel accepted Da 5:11 was probably rab-mag --chief of the Magi."

If the foregoing is true, does that make the "Book of Daniel" a book of astrology?

[DameAutour]

But the use of "magic" or occult powers for good ends is promoted. It's all about the normalization of the occult.

This is a process that began long ago and has been ongoing. For example, Ouija boards are the most popular board game. That means a great many people who call themselves "Christians" are buying these for their children. I find that to be so delusional as to be comical, if not for its grave import.

Beyond the very real problems of occultism, there is the fact that the Harry Potter books encourage the idea that the personal is superior to God. That powers can be used against other people for our own goals, and are not subject to a higher authority.

[GipperGal]

Too bad. You had me rolling in the aisle.

*grins*

My first discovery of the Pothead phenomenon was in the summer of 2000. I was in the Borders Books & Music in Westwood (CA) late one night because I picked up Peggy Noonan's "The Case Against Hillary" which had just come out. I thought I'd scan a few pages and put it down. Before I knew it, it was 10 minutes to midnight. Even though I was 2/3 finished with the book, I decided to buy it. Suddenly it occurred to me that the store was strangely crowded for such a late hour. Then an announcement was made that the store was staying open through the night so that people could buy the new Harry Potter book on the stroke of midnight when it finally hits the shelves. The checkout line zigzagged throughout the entire store. I started to wonder, Is there a book that I would stand in line at midnight to get? And it's not as though the author were there signing copies. I could see myself waiting in line to get an autographed copy of a book by a favorite author (though most of my favorite authors are dead).

This is when I realized that we were dealing with a phenomenon here. The author has obviously taped into the Zeitgeist in some way. But that does not assure me of the books' overall literary value. In late Victorian and turn of the century England, the most popular novelist (the Stephen King of the day) was Maria Correlli. What's that? You never heard of her? Precisely. Her work lost cultural significance after the Great War. Whereas better writers, like E.M. Forster, were able to bridge the period before and after that great calamity, she was not.

So we shall see how these books stand under the unforgiving weight of the years.

[Oztrich Boy]

No problem with disagreement, but I don'r see the possiblity of "proper discussion" with people who are so sure they know what God thinks, that they ignore reality.

[PetroniusMaximus]

***I'm touchy about it because I've seen the damage your kind can do. ***

I can assure you much more damage will be done by the media giants feeding our children a steady stream of occult laced entertainment.

*** I said every single time that they were wrong. ***

They are not "wrong". You are just being overly generous in your interpretation because you like Potter. Example: the mirror - I showed it and an example of authentic occult imagery and you discounted it because it didn't fit in your strict definition of divination.


***But I will stand against what you're doing because it is wrong.***

Your "heroic" stance is both misplaced and overblown. Get a clue as to who your real enemy is my friend. If you are a true Christian then the media ain't your friend.

[GipperGal]

But, unlike you, I don't get my posts pulled, either.

What's the matter? Chicken?

[Modernman]

What's the matter? Chicken?

Any moron can write drivel that gets pulled by the mods.

Hey, didn't you just say that a bunch of your posts on this thread got pulled?