Page:The Roman index of forbidden books.djvu/12

4  all former laws and regulations of General Councils as well as of Sovereign Pontiffs, with one exception: the Constitution Sollicita ac provida of Benedict XIV, also reprinted here, by which this great pope established or rather sanctioned a method the one still in use of examining and passing sentence on the books submitted to the Roman authorities.

These two Constitutions contain the entire general legislation of the Church on the head of books.

There is no "Index expurgatorius." If there were, it would consist of books condemned conditionally, donec corrigantur, "until amended." But such books are all entered in the ordinary Index, with those two Latin words added. In Pope Leo's edition they are, besides, marked with an asterisk.

That the Church has the right to legislate on the publication and use of all books that touch on questions of faith and morals, must be evident to every Catholic. It is