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

[PetroniusMaximus]

*** I think that says enough all by itself - nothing need be added.****

What's that called when somebody puts words in another persons's mouth and then supposedly answers those "words"???

[sitetest]

"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."

Arthur C. Clarke


;-)

[Alamo-Girl]

Indeed. Thank you so much for your post!

[discostu]

Are you proclaiming the "evils" of HP? I haven't seen that from you, though I could have missed it. If not then you're not in the "they" I was discussing.

Of course you see the same mentality even outside of Christianity vs Potter discussions. There's a large group of people in this world that just can't say "don't care if it's good or bad it's just not my thing". Check out anyplace where people get to rate and review movies, everybody needs some big reason, it's the rare reviewer than can just say "I was bored".

[discostu]

Ahh but we know the magic of the ones and zeros.

[BigEdLB]

It seems odd to me that all the code words/phrases such as ....

"subtle seductions, which act unnoticed"

are used frequently by religious institutions...

I am a believer in God, but find this kind of thing exactly the reason why I am not a regular church attender...

When there is a listing of all things that God forbids and linking those to Harry Potter seems that someone loses sight of the fact that this is fantasy fiction. The same with Tolkien.

Bottom line is that Rowling, and Tolkien were good story-tellers, and should be read in the same light that any other story teller is read.

If a person is solid and comfortable with his own beleifs, then he won't be upset with Harry flying a broom and casting spells with the help of talking owls.

If Harry upsets somebody then maybe they are not so sure of their beliefs, because Harry awakens those doubts.

Maybe people see God as remote and far away, instead of all around close and everywhere...

In some cases is it possible God makes His presence known by what we call {gasp} magic?

Harry is fiction. His acts are fiction. Remember it is just a story.

[halieus]

I'm angry and nasty about it because I've seen the havoc that gets wrought by these people first hand. People driven from the Faith by the condemners who know nothing of what they speak.

I've read them, so I know "of what I speak".

I consider these people to everything they claim things like Harry Potter are: enemies of Faith weakening the Faith of the young and impressionable. They force impressionable youths to chose between that which they enjoy and that which their parent taught them under false pretenses with inaccurate "evidence" and put an ignorant face on Christianity for all see.

So if a child "enjoys" something, that makes it good? A parent's role is not to guide their children on the path of righteousness? A parent should not make judgement calls? A parent is not specifically bound to protect his or her children?

That is truly the devil's work.

Yes, protecting my children from books that endorse rebellion is "truly the Devil's work".

Guess what? We homeschool, too! We oversee everything our children study. I must be one of Satan's chief operatives!

[ken21]

actually, i should have said, "control of science, culture and government". for the pope would not approve of the u.s. constitution.

the "syllabus of errors" was an appendix to pope pius ix' quanta cura of 1864, and caused quite a stir among catholics, liberal catholics took issue with it, and certainly among protestants, and materialists, of course.

just type in "syllabus of errors" into your search engine.

[Corin Stormhands]

There are other fantasy worlds depicted by a host of authors that Ratzinger does not pick on. He picks on this one.

But, he did not ~actively~ pick on Harry Potter. He was asked to comment. Which he did.

Very briefly.

[SaintThomasMorePrayForUs]

What happened when Macbeth consulted the witches and witchcraft? Were he and his wife rewarded? Or did bad things happen because of it. The answer is that bad things happened because of it. What resulted was murder and untimely death as well as neurosis and psychosis. When literature properly inserts such questions into a moral framework that judges them accordingly, this is not wrong. "Macbeth" hardly comes off as an endorsment of occult practices.

[BigEdLB]

He was asked to comment. Which he did.

And so JK Rowling will lose book sales to devout Catholics that read about Benedict's remarks, and gain sales from non-Catholic's annoyed with what they consider to be his meddleing.

[PetroniusMaximus]

***Mirrors aren't vehicles of magic in HP, some mirrors are enchanted, ***

They are used as a method of "seeing" adn alternate or symbolic reality which is really divination.


***They aren't ever used in HP in any way that ever resembles any of the various real world occult rituals that use mirrors. ***

Mirrors are use in occult magik for a number of puroses. I'm sure you don't know them all.




****I find the very presence of condemning Christians to be the ultimate insult ****

Care to point me to where I condemned someone???

And if "condeming" is so bad - then why are you condeming me???

[hispanichoosier]

I wouldn't put too much stock in this article. Sounds like this Kuby lady sent her book to then-Cardinal Ratzinger. Card. Ratzinger or an aide of his wrote something to the effect of "thanks for the book, sometimes things effect kids and we don't notice it."

Exactly. Encouraging debate on an issue of culture is not the same as issuing a doctrinal note on the issue.

Then this man Michael O'Brien goes to LifeSite making a huge issue out of it. While I respect LifeSite, I really wouldn't accept any conclusions before reading accounts of this in a few more sources

I agree. Unfortunately, Mr. O'Brien is an author himself. He has written the apocalyptic novels Father Elijah and Sophia House. Thus, he may have some good points to make, but he's not a theologian.

If Cardinal Ratzinger really believed Harry Potter was harmful, why wouldn't he have addressed it himself, instead of just giving permission for others to pass along his thoughts on the matter?

True. When it comes to theological inquiry, giving permission for somebody to explore a moral and theological topic doesn't equal assent.

[PetroniusMaximus]

*** little camouflaged germ laid ***


Error is often 98% truth.

[SaintThomasMorePrayForUs]

You're not that bright, are you?

[frogjerk]

I believe the reason the people who don't recognize the danger in books that glorify the occult is because they do not really believe that the preternatural is real, and has power.

Satan's greatest power is making people believe he doesn't exist.

[Corin Stormhands]

I don't think sales numbers are going to be a problem for Ms. Rowling.

[JenB]

A parent's role is not to guide their children on the path of righteousness? A parent should not make judgement calls? A parent is not specifically bound to protect his or her children?

So... are you condemning all parents who have allowed their children to read Harry PotteR? Because my folks homeschooled us - still do with my brothers - too, and they didn't think Harry Potter was distracting us from the path of righteousness. If you do such a poor job teaching your kid Truth that a novel can lead him to evil, well, then, you're not a very good parents are you?

[JenB]

Hmmm... selling Harry Potter novels to kids whose parents won't let them read it... sounds like a great black-market opportunity to me...

(Kidding. I respect parents' rights to rule their kids' lives absolutely)

[PetroniusMaximus]

***folk who think that fantasy or science fiction are inherently evil. That imagination is evil, maybe.***

See #23