Welcome Guest [Log In] [Register]
We hope you enjoy your visit.


You're currently viewing our forum as a guest. This means you are limited to certain areas of the board and there are some features you can't use. If you join our community, you'll be able to access member-only sections, and use many member-only features such as customizing your profile, sending personal messages, and voting in polls. Registration is simple, fast, and completely free.


Join our community!


If you're already a member please log in to your account to access all of our features:

Username:   Password:
Add Reply
Pope Opposes Harry Potter Novels
Topic Started: Jul 13 2005, 02:39 PM (654 Views)
gvok
Unregistered

source

Quote:
 
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/ratzingerlet... .
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2005_docs/ratzingerper... .

See LifeSite's Harry Potter resource section at:
http://www.lifesite.net/features/harrypotter/

jhw


| Quote | ^
 
Dr. Noah
Sistertrek's Asian Correspondant
I've heard that evangelical Christians think that Harry Potter is somehow convincing children to convert to Wicca or something. They say the same crap about RPGs too.
Offline | Profile | Quote | ^
 
gvok
Unregistered

There's probably some truth to that.
| Quote | ^
 
Dr. Noah
Sistertrek's Asian Correspondant
Seriously?
Offline | Profile | Quote | ^
 
Deleted User
Deleted User

Maybe a small minority would, but not as many as the church would have you believe.
| Quote | ^
 
gvok
Unregistered

Yes, in the sense that RPGs makes the idea of magic and casting spells interesting. Playing Dungeons and Dragons had that effect on me when I was younger.
| Quote | ^
 
gvok
Unregistered

Mike Welsby
Jul 13 2005, 02:57 PM
Maybe a small minority would, but not as many as the church would have you believe.

Sure. I don't really think it's a major problem (or even a problem at all). I think people need to come to their own understanding of their relation with religion as opposed to blindly accepting it. JMO.
| Quote | ^
 
Dr. Noah
Sistertrek's Asian Correspondant
Wow. I never knew that it actually influenced people that way. I played lots of RPGs and it's always made clear by the writers that they are works of fiction and magic is not real.
Offline | Profile | Quote | ^
 
gvok
Unregistered

Well, It gets you interested and then you hear about religions like Wicca which espouse the idea that spell casting is an actual thing. It's an easy step to make I think. That's not necessarily a bad thing though. The truth eventually reveals itself one way or the other.
| Quote | ^
 
Dr. Noah
Sistertrek's Asian Correspondant
Actually, "magic" in the Wiccan sense is not all that different than prayer in other faiths.
Offline | Profile | Quote | ^
 
gvok
Unregistered

Sort of. I think there is emphasis on "casting spells" to better one's position in this life often in a materialistic way or to bring harm to others. That seems a little different than the Catholic idea of prayer to me.
| Quote | ^
 
Dr. Noah
Sistertrek's Asian Correspondant
I guess my experience with it is somewhat limited. I attended a spring festival honoring a hearth goddess Bridged I think, and the "magic" performed was a group prayer for the symbolic rebirth of the Earth. It was very nice. :yes:
Offline | Profile | Quote | ^
 
gvok
Unregistered

Perhaps I am mistaken. I have seen books which discuss the types of spells I refered to. I know that there are positive ones too. I guess the fact that Wicca seems to be morally neutral is repellant to the Catholic Church as well.
| Quote | ^
 
Dr. Noah
Sistertrek's Asian Correspondant
Again, my experience with it is somewhat limited, but as I understand it, it's really based on ancient Celtic Druidism which is similar to Shinto in that all things, trees, rocks, animals, have a spirit and you can draw upon this life energy in ceremonies.
Offline | Profile | Quote | ^
 
DEFIANT
Commodore
Well people outside of Wicca do pray to better their positions (not all), and other reasons for prayer- such as thanks- are done in Wicca. And the Wiccan slogan(?) is something like: Harm ye none, let it be done.

IMO, I think a large minority of Wiccans are in it as a fad.
Offline | Profile | Quote | ^
 
Go to Next Page
« Previous Topic · Spiritual Journeys · Next Topic »
Add Reply

Tweet
comments powered by Disqus