Required reading for university freshmen? Maybe. These esteemed writers, philosophers, and scientists also all had works banned by the Catholic Church on its infamous Index Librorum Prohibitorum or Index of Prohibited Books. read more
The Catholic Index does not exist anymore since 1966, so there are no more “banned” books. The last full edition of the list was in 1948 and contained more than 4000 books, from very different authors such as Voltaire, Daniel Defoe, or Honoré Daumier or Gustave Proudhon. read more
Although formally abolished in 1966 by Pope Paul VI, over nearly four centuries church leaders flagged more than 4,000 works as damaging to the faith or morals of Catholics--and threatened excommunication for reading, publishing, selling, or even possessing them. read more