What is a Censor Librorum?
Fr. Hugh Barbour: If a person were to write a book or pamphlet and wanted it checked for doctrinal integrity, he would go to the Censor. Such a check might be required by Church law, but often today it is not strictly required. Writers present their work to a publishing house which either accepts or rejects it. If the publishing house is interested in getting a Censor’s approbation, they contact him. All a Censor can do is say that the work is either conforming to Catholic teaching or not. If the Censor approves and the Bishop agrees, the Bishop gives the work an Imprimatur. This doesn’t mean that the Censor or Bishop agree with the opinions expressed, only that the work is free of doctrinal error. For example, someone could write a book on the history of the Church. The Censor might not agree with how the author depicts a certain historical figure, but nonetheless approve it is not in contradiction with the official doctrine of the Church. Or suppose someone writes a devotional book o
