IMPRIMATUR

What Is The Imprimatur & What Does It Mean?

IMPRIMATUR "let it be printed"

Promounced im-prim-AH-tur. The Latin word meaning "let it be printed." When a Roman Catholic bishop grants his imprimatur to a printed work, he assures the reader that nothing therein is contrary to Catholic faith or morals. This imprimatur is not given lightly; only after a thorough review process. If you're interested, you may wish to look for near the copyright notice on books about Catholic doctrine.

When an author of a religious book or article presents his work to the local bishop for review, the bishop gives the work to a knowledgeable priest, who reads it and, if corrections are needed, returns it to the writer. When the reviewer is satisfied with the corrections, he marks it with his "Nihil obstat" (Latin for "no problem".) If the bishop is satisfied, he gives the work his "Imprimatur" (Latin for "let it be printed").

If the writer belongs to a religious order or congregation, the rules of the order may require a first review by a member of the order. If the reviewer here is satisfied, he grants the work an "Imprimi potest" (Latin for "it can be printed".)

Authority

The Church, given teaching authority by Christ and as the conduit for fullness of Truth on this earth, has the obligation to preserve Her sheep from deviations from the Truth and to to guarantee them the "objective possibility of professing the true faith without error" (Catechism, No. 890). Because of this, the Bishops will look at books published by Catholics on Catholic matters in their dioceses, giving them their "okay" if nothing therein is found to be contrary to the Faith (relevant Canon Law: "Title IV: The Means of Social Communication," ¶ 822-832)

Procedure & Process

The procedure works like this: when a Catholic writes a book on faith, morals, theology, liturgy, books on prayer, editions of Sacred Scripture, etc., he will submit his manuscript to his diocese's Censor. If the Censor finds no problem with it, he will give it his stamp, which reads "Nihil Obstat," or "nothing stands in the way." He then sends it to the Bishop for his review. If the Bishop finds nothing objectionable, he gives the book his "Imprimatur" which means, "let it be printed."

If the Catholic writing the book is a member of a religious order, the manuscript is first sent to his religious superior before it is sent to the Censor and Bishop. If the religious superior finds no impediment to publication, he will give the book his stamp of "Imprimi Potest," which means "it can be printed."

Nowadays, after the Imprimatur, you might see these words:

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.

Censors of Books

Clerics, in practise always priests, appointed according to canon law by the bishop of a diocese to examine, before publication, those writings or other things that are to be submitted to ecclesiastical supervision. The censors are to be chosen either from the secular or regular clergy. Conditions of age, learning, and prudence are to be considered in naming them. As a guarantee of fitness the censors, before entering upon their office, make a profession of faith before the bishop or his vicar-general. In examining what is submitted to them, they must lay aside favoritism, and consider the teachings of the Church and the laws of sound morals in order to determine whether the things in question may be given to the public with safety. In each case the censor must give his opinion in writing. If his opinion is favorable, the permission to publish is granted. The fact of the favorable view of the censor must be shown on the publication. This is usually done by placing there the Latin words, Nihil obstat, meaning "Nothing hinders the publication," and the name of the censor. Then follows the word, Imprimatur, the name of the local bishop or of his vicar, and the place and date of permission. Chiefly works on religious subjects or those which have a bearing on religion are presented for censorship.

NIHIL OBSTAT "nothing stands in the way"

When an author of a religious book or article presents his work to the local bishop for review, the bishop gives the work to a knowledgeable priest, who reads it and, if corrections are needed, returns it to the writer. In each case the censor must give his opinion in writing. When the reviewer is satisfied with the corrections, he marks it with his "Nihil obstat" (Latin for "no problem".) If the bishop is satisfied, he gives the work his "Imprimatur" (Latin for "let it be printed").

IMPRIMI POTEST "it can be printed"

If the Catholic writing the book is a member of a religious order, the manuscript is first sent to his religious superior before it is sent to the Censor and Bishop. If the religious superior finds no impediment to publication, he will give the book his stamp of "Imprimi Potest," which means "it can be printed."

Caution:

The presence of an Imprimatur does NOT mean that a book is an official text of the Church. It doesn't make the book the equivalent of an encyclical, say. It is not the approval of the work by the Pope or a dogmatic Council, and it's not a stamp of infallibility. It doesn't even mean that everything in the book is accurate, only that there is nothing in it that contradicts Catholic dogma. The process, however, is rigorous if done properly, and, while a book may occasionally sneak through the system and need to have its Imprimatur later recalled, the procedure is an important way for Catholics to increase their chances of staying error-free with regard to doctrine.

Since the Second Vatican Council, however, the process is no longer required, is not strictly enforced, or  is no longer encouraged by many Bishops and Dioceses. As a result, many contemporary publications professing to be "Catholic" may in fact contain a watered-down form of "pop theology," a distorted view of Catholic history, incompatible Protestant elements, or even pseudo New-Age content.

Often these days, much of what passes for contemporary religious thought or "enightened post-Vatican II Catholic doctrine" is little more than a veiled attempt to re-write church history or re-invent traditional Catholic beliefs to allow for a more politically correct and secular iterpretation of church doctrines the revisionists consider to be outmoded, divisive, unpopular, or inconvenient.

Catholics today must therefore take great care when buying contemporary books on religious faith and spiritual matters. When considering the purchase of religious materials to strengthen your Catholic faith, please remember the following guidelines and precautions:

1. Try to seek out those books written before Vatican II which have the "Imprimatur," or focus your search on the writings of the Catholic saints.

2. Restrict or concentrate your reading on those books or publications which are known to be written by solidly orthodox traditional Catholics or authorities officially recognized as such by the magesterium of the Catholic Church.

And lastly...

3. Be wary and take any opinion you encounter in any book or manuscript you read with a grain of salt. And, always, if you ever come across a publication that makes you uneasy or says horrific or slanderous things about the Church, her teachings, or her history, please make the extra effort to read the traditional Catholic point of view as well and to seek out objective or unbiased resources on the subject.