| The Nihil
Obstat and Imprimatur,
which the Catholic Church affixes to religious books, was and is a testimonial
to the orthodoxy of doctrine of a given book. It need not necessarily convey
the views or convictions of either the delegated priest/theologian censor
who gives his Nihil Obstat, or of the bishop, who granted permission to
print the book. It is a guarantee that there is nothing against the Christian
and Catholic faith or moral doctrine. This practice served the needs of
the faithful well.
Brief Overview - Printed
Material
An Imprimatur
is an official declaration from the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church
that a literary or similar work is free from error in matters of Roman
Catholic doctrine and morals, and hence acceptable reading for faithful
Roman Catholics. Ordinarily an imprimatur is granted by the bishop of a
diocese (after a declaration of nihil obstat has been granted by a theologian
in regard to the work). On rare occasions, a bishop's imprimatur may be
overruled by higher authorities within the Catholic Church; this happened
twice in 1984 and again in 1998.
It is of greatest significance in works
directly addressing Roman Catholic theology and doctrine, and was introduced
as a measure to reduce exposure, particularly of the laity, to heresy.
The presence of the imprimatur was at one time a matter of the greatest
concern to many Roman Catholics. (In fact, in some officially Roman Catholic
countries, nothing could be legally published without such an imprimatur.
This was a form of prior restraint or censorship.) Today it is likely of
concern only to more orthodox Roman Catholics; however, it is also required
under canon law that all religion textbooks in Catholic schools must have
received the imprimatur.
A Roman Catholic imprimatur
can consist of up to three stamps, each followed by a signature (name and
title):
Imprimi
Potest (Latin, meaning "able
to be printed") If the work is that of a member of a religious
order, this stamp indicates that it has first been examined and approved
by the religious superior or head of the religious order (or a duly appointed
representative).
Nihil
Obstat (Latin, meaning "nothing
hinders") This stamp indicates that the work has been
examined and approved by the censor of the diocese, and that he finds it
free of doctrinal or moral error. The censor is often a scholarly priest
appointed by the bishop, and it is his task to work back-and-forth with
the author of the work to correct any inaccuracies or problems.
Imprimatur
(Latin, meaning "let it be printed")
Finally, this stamp indicates that the work has been approved for printing
by the bishop of the diocese, or other ecclesiastical authority.
These "stamps" and "signatures" are simply
rendered in plain type on a page at the front of the book (i.e. they are
not literal stamps and hand-written signatures), and are often followed
by the date and place of signing, as on legal documents.
Following this, some works may also include
the following statement:
"The
Nihil Obstat and Imprimatur are official declarations that a book or pamphlet
is free of doctrinal or moral error. No implication is contained therein
that those who have granted the Nihil Obstat and the Imprimatur agree with
the content, opinions or statements expressed."
(While at first glance this statement might
seem contradictory, an example might be that of a Roman Catholic work that
offered parenting advice -- the advice may not be morally wrong or contradict
Roman Catholic doctrine, but it might not reflect the views on parenting
of the censor or bishop.)
Imprimaturs are not automatically transferrable
to later versions of a work. Any new edition also requires a new imprimatur
to be obtained.
The imprimatur can be revoked if, upon
further examination, any doctrinal or moral error is found to be contained
in the work.
Controversy
In the 1990s some controversy arose over
the International Commission on English in the Liturgy, a Roman Catholic
translation agency. In 1998 the Church insisted that American bishops lift
their imprimatur of a collection of Psalms produced by the commission,
and in 1998 Church officials required that staff and advisers for the commission
receive a nihil obstat in order to obtain and to keep their jobs.
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