Posted on 07/13/2005 12:49:13 AM PDT by dsc
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
Well, you know how it is... maybe some Mormon had me baptized by proxy or something and I'm actually not Protestant.
(Insert a "because" after "that" and it reads better)
"Christian fans of Harry Potter insist that the series is no different than C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia, a series that many Christian parents accept.
It is true that both authors create fantasy parallel worlds involving young British children who encounter magical creatures. Both develop admirable characters and evil villains. But this is where the comparison ends.
The difference between the two hinges on the concept of authority. From a Christian perspective, authority and supernatural power are linked.
Take a look at Mark 2, where Jesus heals a paralytic. When Jesus first sees the paralytic, He says, "Son, your sins are forgiven." This sets up the following scene:
Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, "Why does this fellow teach like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?" Immediately Jesus knew . . . that this was what they were thinking . . . and He said to them, "Why are you thinking such things? Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins. . . ." He said to the paralytic, "I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home." He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. (Mark 2:6-12a)
Christ’s power flows from His authority. That’s the nature of all legitimate power — it is granted and guided by authority.
When we read Rowling’s series, we find that she effectively divorces power from authority. There is no sovereign person or principle governing the use of the supernatural.
Magical power is gained through inheritance and learning. It is not granted by a higher authority, because there is no Higher Authority — at least none higher than Harry’s mentor, Albus Dumbledore, and the evil Lord Voldemort. The two are equal, antagonistic and unaccountable to a higher authority.
In C.S. Lewis’ Narnia, power and authority are welded together. That authority is Jesus, in the character of the great lion Aslan — creator and sovereign ruler of Narnia, son of the Emperor Beyond the Sea. Good power is power that is bestowed by Aslan and exercised in accordance with his will. This good power is at work when the children Peter, Susan and Lucy use gifts bestowed on them by an agent of Aslan.
Evil power, on the other hand, is power that is seized or conjured — rather than bestowed — and exercised for selfish ends. Those who resist the temptation to use such power are commended, as was Digory, in The Magician’s Nephew. But those who wield it (such as Jadis, also in The Magician’s Nephew) and the White Witch (in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe) are eventually vanquished by Aslan.
Despite superficial similarities, Rowling’s and Lewis’ worlds are as far apart as east is from west. Rowling’s work invites children to a world where witchcraft is "neutral" and where authority is determined solely by one’s cleverness. Lewis invites readers to a world where God’s authority is not only recognized, but celebrated — a world that resounds with His goodness and care.
It’s a difference no Christian should ignore."
But it doesn't blur that line. The line between good and evil is very, very clear in the stories. Sure, sometimes you don't know whether someone's a good guy or a bad guy for a while, because it's fiction and you need tension, but by the end you always know.
"One of the biggest problems we have is that the Harry Potter books teach children that adults are stupid, and children should disobey them."
Always a great big red flag. What would do that, that was not influenced by evil?
"The other problem we have is that the books have desensitized people (and children) to the occult."
Remember Ouija Boards?
"Case in point: In a HP display at Barnes & Noble we saw a book called "Spells for Children". Contained inside: directions for performing real wiccan spells!"
That's a "See? I told you so" moment.
"I also find the enormous CRAZE for these books to be very disturbing and suspicious."
Yeah, me too. Parents are gushing, "My Johnny *never* read until Harry Potter." Really? Well, why these books? They're not that great, literarily speaking.
Dear little jeremiah,
"LOTR and the Narnia books uplift the mind and heart. The Harry Potter books are slimey, poorly written, crass, and appeal to lowly emotions and aspirations."
Yeah, pretty much the conclusions to which we came. My kids have read, and re-read both LOTR and Narnia. My older son (not quite 11) thinks maybe he might be a philogist, as he's fascinated by the languages of Middle Earth. My younger guy (age 8) has decided to write his own novel.
I've found that as a result of steering their intitial reading interests, their tastes have already developed to the point where they usually reject lesser fare even without our guidance.
Why feed your kids hamburger helper when steak is easily available? Why not teach your kids to look for and aim for the best?
sitetest
Exactly. For me to decide. Not some guy in a white hat that has no more authority in the eyes of God than I do
Well stated.
I suspect he is not referring to the moral outcome, BUT to the worldview. My thought as I read it was that he's rejecting the positive portrayal of the occult worldview. He meant good/evil in a deeper sense than that of mere moral choices.
"The line between good and evil is very, very clear in the stories."
Maybe, but if so, it's in the wrong place.
The entire occult belongs on the wrong side of that line, and she's moved it to include some of the occult.
"Tempest in a teapot"
Someone trying to drum up feelings probably.
I had a friend from our Parish call me the other day upset about an event that is going to be held at the local library celebrating the HP books. One of the things that was happening was a "Potions Class". She asked if I'd be willing to 'speak out' against it, and I told her absolutely NOT. All the person is planning is a sneaky way to get the kids thinking about Chemistry!! I thought it was a terrific idea to tie that subject, by which so many are intimidated, in with the books that kids love. Who knows, it might spark some scientific interest in some kids who had never thought they had that talent.
There are some books for teenagers that are truly anti-Christian, the Philip Pullman books, for example, according to Clare. I hate seeing people get all hot and bothered about HP! Anyway, I asked my friend if she'd ever READ the books, and she admitted she hadn't. I told her to try them again, and letting go of the superficial spells, etc., look at the struggle between good and evil underneath it all. In the books, evil is REAL, the kids understand that, and they understand that they need to be aware at all times that evil can take over their lives.
Constant Vigilance!
Hmmm... I don't have a problem with the wordlview, because I look at it as fiction, a story about a world in which magic can be done by some people who are born with that ability. Clearly, that's not our world. Once you're not in our world, you can postulate what-ifs; what-if magic weren't evil? What-if animals could talk, or trees walk? That's what fiction's for.
And it's not occult, I mean, sure people try to make it that but it's just fantasy. And Rowling is at least nominally Christian and says if we paid attention to that fact we might have some clue where this is going...
Sigh. IF the Harry Potter books were real, then yes, it would be occult because in the real world, magic is occult. In fantasy, which is what the books are, that isn't necessarily true.
Quote, please?
I've watched it happen. There's a big chunk of fandom that doesn't want anything to do with Christians because they've been getting told for so long that what they enjoy can't be enjoyed by Christians and is evil they just couldn't take it anymore. In many ways a person is defined by what they do to relax, they are people that enjoy things like Potter or D&D, then this crowd tells them over and over that they can't enjoy those things and be Christian, so eventually they accept this summary judgement and walk away from Christianity. Nobody over on the other side, the Rowling's or the Gygax's, are telling them they can be one or the other not both; so they have a choice to make, they can pick the side that is welcoming them or pick the side that's pushing them away. Of course the reality is the side pushing them away is doing so on false assumptions and poor facts, but that just makes it easier to let them push you away, who wants to identify with people that are so wilfully ignorant.
I agree with your assessment. The desire to control others and the world around one is actually a very demoniac desire. The transcendent way of using one's will is to direct the will to doing the will of God, not playing God and getting others to do MY will.
People are hungry, and if they don't look for read food, they'll even eat clay or bark if they have nothing else.
When kids read good, uplifting literature, they don't have so much taste for the inferior. I grew up reading old fashioned kids books (after all, it was the 50's) but also the books around my house were my parents' books - Robert Louis Stevenson, Howard Pyle, and the like.
"For me to decide. Not some guy in a white hat that has no more authority in the eyes of God than I do"
It's not a question of having authority by virtue of his hat; it's a question of his having moral authority by virtue of personal holiness.
People who have a lot of holiness are right about this kind of stuff a lot more often than those of us who don't.
Jen is right, that line is not blurred.
Those who say it is do so because even the good guys use magic. Magic is evil, so the line is "blurred."
Right and wrong, good and evil are clearly depicted.
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