Dear Catholic Exchange:
Good Day! I am curious what it is that makes a text worthy of gaining the qualification necessary as a proper Catholic text. Namely, how does a book earn the two phrases, “Nihil Obstat” and “Imprimatur.”
Sincerely,
Teresa Deckard
Dear Teresa,
Peace in Christ!
The Church grants books or other material the nihil obstat and imprimatur after reviewing the material to verify that it is consistent with the Catholic Faith. It makes no statement about the value or quality of the material — only that it contains nothing contrary to the Faith.
The nihil obstat and imprimatur can be obtained from the diocese in which the publisher is located or from the diocese in which the author is located. The manuscript is submitted to the diocesan official (the Vicar General, Chancellor or other person) who assigns a censor to review the text. The censor reads the manuscript to verify that it contains nothing contradictory to the Faith. After this review the censor may send it back to the author or publisher stating that changes need to be made to bring the manuscript into conformity with the teachings of the Church. If the censor finds the manuscript is consistent with Catholic teaching, he grants a nihil obstat meaning that “nothing stands” in the way of the publication of the manuscript. The manuscript is then submitted to the ordinary (bishop, archbishop, etc.) of the diocese along with the comments and recommendations of the censor.
If the ordinary agrees with the nihil obstat, he will issue the imprimatur meaning, “let it be printed.”
The publisher will note, normally in the front material of the printed matter, that the manuscript was granted the nihil obstat and imprimatur, by whom it was granted, and the date on which it was granted. The book then can be published.
For the reader these designations inform him that the printed matter is consistent with Catholic teaching.
As a side note, the imprimatur can be withdrawn if upon further review the text is found not to be in conformity. For example, there have been cases where the imprimatur has been withdrawn from a work at the request of the Vatican.
Please feel free to call us at 1-800-MY FAITH or email us with any further questions on this or any other subject. If you have found this information to be helpful, please consider a donation to CUF to help sustain this service. You can call the toll-free line, visit us at www.cuf.org, or send your contribution to the address below. Thank you for your support as we endeavor to “support, defend, and advance the efforts of the teaching Church.”
United in the Faith,
Amy Barragree
Information Specialist
Catholics United for the Faith
827 North Fourth Street
Steubenville, OH 43952
800-MY-FAITH (800-693-2484)
Editor's Note: To submit a faith question to Catholic Exchange, email href=”mailto:faithquestions@catholicexchange.com”>faithquestions@catholicexchange.com. Please note that all email submitted to Catholic Exchange becomes the property of Catholic Exchange and may be published in this space. Published letters may be edited for length and clarity. Names and cities of letter writers may also be published. Email addresses of viewers will not normally be published.
