Page:The Roman index of forbidden books.djvu/60



Rule 1. We are not allowed to read any forbidden publication.

Father Génicot, S.J., a reliable and moderate theologian, says: "Were one to read only a few lines which he sees contain doctrine directly opposed to faith or good morals" (and, it must be understood, in a manner highly dangerous to the average reader), "he would sin grievously. But when nothing so extraordinarily harmful occurs, good moralists hold that as much as six pages may be read without mortal sin." He also quotes the opinion of F. Vermeersch, a very good authority, that when a book becomes dangerous only through a long perusal of it, quite a 52