Index of Prohibited Books

§. vi.
In general, however, regarding bad and pernicious books, it is declared and established that those which were initially published in a certain language and subsequently prohibited and condemned by the Apostolic See, are considered, in whatever language they are later translated, to be interdicted and condemned by the same See everywhere among all peoples, under the same penalties.

ON THE CORRECTION OF BOOKS.

§. i.

Bishops and Inquisitors shall have the joint faculty to expurgate any books according to the prescription of this Index, even in exempt and nullius places; where, however, there are no Inquisitors, the Bishops alone.
The expurgation of books, however, shall not be committed to any but men distinguished for erudition and piety; and they shall be three, unless perhaps, considering the type of book or the erudition of those who are diligently [assigned] to this, more or fewer are judged expedient.
When the emendation is completed, with chapters, paragraphs, and pages noted, and signed by the hand of him or those who have expurgated it, it shall be returned to the same Bishops and Inquisitors, as aforesaid; if they approve the emendation, then the book shall be permitted.

§. ii.

Those who have undertaken the business of correcting and expurgating must look around and attentively note not only those things that manifest themselves in the course of the work, but also if there are any that lie hidden like traps in scholia, summaries, margins, indices of books, prefaces, or dedicatory epistles.
The things that need correction and expurgation are almost these which follow:
Propositions that are heretical, erroneous, smelling of heresy, scandalous, offensive to pious ears, rash, schismatic, seditious, and blasphemous.
Those which induce any novelty against the rites and ceremonies of the Sacraments and against the received use and custom of the Holy Roman Church.
Profane novelties of terms devised by heretics and introduced to deceive.
Doubtful and ambiguous words that can lead the minds of readers from a right and Catholic sense toward nefarious opinions.
Words of Sacred Scripture not faithfully quoted or taken from the depraved versions of heretics, unless perhaps they are brought forth to attack the same heretics and to slaughter and convince them with their own weapons.
It is also necessary to expunge any words of Holy Scripture that are impiously accommodated to profane use; as well as those that are twisted to a sense abhorrent from the unanimous opinion of the Catholic Fathers and Doctors.
Likewise, honorific epithets and all things said in praise of heretics are to be deleted.
To these, all things that smack of superstitions, sorcery, and divinations are rejected.
Likewise, whatever subjects the freedom of human will to fate, or fallacious signs, or

pagan fortune, must be obliterated.
Those things which smell of paganism should also be abolished.
Likewise, those which disparage the reputation of neighbors, and especially of ecclesiastics and princes, and are contrary to good morals and Christian discipline, are to be expunged.
Propositions that are against ecclesiastical liberty, immunity, and jurisdiction must also be expunged.
Likewise, those which, from the tenets, customs, or examples of the Gentiles, foster a tyrannical policy and introduce what they falsely call reason of state, which is abhorrent to the Evangelical and Christian law, are to be deleted.
Examples that damage and violate ecclesiastical rites, religious orders, state, dignity, and persons should be exploded.
Facetious remarks or gibes cast to the ruin or prejudice of the reputation and esteem of others are to be repudiated.
Finally, lascivious things that can corrupt good morals are to be deleted.
And if there are any obscene images printed or depicted in the aforementioned books to be expurgated, even in large letters, as is customary to print at the beginning of books or chapters, all things of this kind are to be completely obliterated.

§. iii.

In books of recent Catholics, which were written after the year of Christian salvation 1515, if it appears that what occurs to be corrected can be emended by removing or adding a few things, the Correctors shall see to it that this is done; if not, it shall be completely removed.

§. iv.

In books of ancient Catholics, it is not lawful to change anything, unless where a manifest error has crept in either through the fraud of heretics or the carelessness of the printer.
If, however, anything of greater moment and worthy of note occurs, it may be permitted in new editions, either in the margins or in the scholia, to annotate: applying diligence primarily as to whether a more difficult opinion of the same author can be illustrated from doctrine and compared passages, and his mind more plainly explained.

§. v.

After the codex of expurgation has been finished, so that it may be printed by mandate of the Bishop and Inquisitor, those who have books to be expurgated will be able, with their license, to correct and purge them according to the form provided in the codex.

ON THE PRINTING OF BOOKS.

§. i.

No book shall be printed in the future which does not bear on its front the name, surname, and country of the author.
But if it is not clear who the author is, or if for some just reason, with his name omitted, the book appears to the Bishop and Inquisitor to be capable of being edited, the name of him who has examined and approved the book shall be entirely written down.