Vatican orders bishop to remove imprimatur

National Catholic Reporter, Feb 27, 1998

Vatican officials have overruled a 1994 decision by a bishop in England, ordering him to withdraw his imprimatur from a popular religious education text that had come under attack from conservatives.

Bishop Peter Smith, who heads the diocese of East Anglia in England, wrote in a formal statement issued Jan. 19, "At the request of the Sacred Congregation of the Clergy I am withdrawing the `imprimatur' accorded to the book Roman Catholic Christianity on Oct. 6, 1994. In the judgment of the congregation, the expression of some elements in the book are not in full conformity with the Catholic faith."

The East Anglia diocese includes the city of Norwich.

In 1996 conservatives began accusing the author, Clare Richards, of heresy. In her own statement, Richards said she thought the Vatican's repudiation of her book stemmed from her methodology. Rather than give single, absolute answers to such teachings as the Resurrection, she presents official church teaching (that it was a miraculous physical, historical event) as well as metaphorical interpretations offered by some contemporary biblical scholars. For example, she says scholars say the resurrection could not have been filmed because it was a different kind of reality, manifested in New Testament times by the burgeoning Christian community and also, then and now, by acts of courage in living out Jesus' message. The text invites discussion of all of these understandings.

A traditionalist priest, Fr. Derek Rochford of Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice in Surrey, England, described Richards' methodology as "inadequate and dangerous." He presented that view in a 96-page booklet titled "Roman Catholic Christianity: The Facts They Don't Want You to Know."

Bishops, who have teaching authority in their dioceses, are empowered to grant the imprimatur (let it be printed) and the nihil obstat (nothing stands in the way) for books and teaching materials. In this case, the task was delegated to Fr. Nicholas Kearney, diocesan censor. The Latin imprints, required by canon law for religion textbooks in Catholic schools, signify that materials contain nothing contrary to Catholic teaching.

Smith was strongly supportive of Richards, describing her in his statement as a highly respected religious educator in England and Wales whose "sole motive" was "to assist young people to think more deeply and develop a clearer understanding of their faith in the light of current objections to the message of the gospels."

"The fact that what she attempted in this book has not been fully achieved is a matter of sadness but by no means a reflection on her motivation and commitment to the task. ...Many children whom she has taught over the years will have much to thank her for," he said.

Richards said in her statement, "I am saddened that I approach my retirement from teaching under a Roman cloud." She described her methodology as the one "used in every other subject," making room for questioning and "a certain freedom of discussion."

"This makes my teaching too open-ended for the taste of a certain section of our church," she said. "I think it is a rather small section, but it is quite vocal. Their voices reached Rome."

Of her own career, Richards said, "As my only wish in my teaching career has been to spread the love and challenge of the gospel, it seems appropriate to end up as the `accused' not the `accuser.'"

Although it is unusual for the Vatican to overrule a bishop and demand that an imprimatur be withdrawn, it happened twice in 1984. The respective bishops and texts involved were Archbishop Peter Gerity of Newark, N.J., who had approved Christ Among Us, a best-selling catechism by Anthony Wilhelm, and Archbishop Raymond Hunthausen of Seattle, who had approved Sexual Morality by Fr. Philip Keane.