- Click to share on Facebook (Opens in a new window)
- Click to share on Twitter (Opens in a new window)
- Click here to share on LinkedIn (Opens in a new window)
- Click to email a friend (Opens in a new window)
(CNN) - A Catholic school in Nashville is receiving what a school leader called “unwanted attention” for the decision to remove the “Harry Potter” series of books from their shelves.
On August 28, the Rev. Dan Reehil, pastor of St. Edward Catholic School, sent an email to the school staff explaining his reasoning for removing the books from the school library.
"These books present both good and bad magic, which is not true," says his letter. "The curses and spells used in the books are curses and real spells, which when read by a human being run the risk of conjuring evil spirits in the presence of the person reading the texts."
Reehil goes on to say that he consulted with exorcists and the Catechism of the Catholic Church, considered the final summary of Catholic doctrine, before making the decision.
LOOK : A Harry Potter book with two spelling mistakes sells for $ 34,500
Concerns about curses
While the statement about curses and spells is probably the most striking part of Reehil's explanation, it also raises other philosophical points, saying that the protagonists of the books "promote a Machiavellian approach to achieve the ends they want."
CNN called St. Edward Catholic School to request comments, but could not communicate with anyone.
The primary and secondary school belongs to the Roman Catholic diocese of Nashville.
Rick Musacchio, director of communications for the diocese, told CNN that Reehill's role as pastor of a diocesan school gives him a "range of canonical roles" that he can address.
In other words, their decisions do not necessarily have to be explicitly approved or endorsed by the Diocese, within reason. Musacchio also confirmed that Reehil's email, originally obtained by The Tennessean , was authentic.
The school says it is not a ban
After the school's decision began to attract attention, the Superintendent of Schools of the Diocese Rebecca Hammel sent an email to the school staff clarifying the extent of the "Harry Potter" purge.
In a copy of the letter delivered to CNN, Hammel expressed regret at the fact that the decision had led to the school "unwanted attention." He also clarified that the school is not enacting a ban: the series was never part of the school's curriculum, and students can still read books at school.
She said the decision to withdraw the books was part of a larger project to move the library from one place to another, in which the school catalog was reorganized and some materials were removed due to the "age adjustment" or "bad circulation."
"Over the years, this series has received attention for its presentation of magic and witchcraft," Hammel wrote.
MIRA : Harry Potter fan? These are the five best films in the saga
“While the Catholic Church has not expressed any formal position on related books and films, many voices in the Church, even at higher levels, have expressed that the subject may be appropriate when due consideration is given to the maturity of the reader . We leave these decisions to you as your children's primary educator. ”
Since its launch in 1997, the series of books "Harry Potter" has been the subject of international religious debate due to its alleged presentation of mysticism, occultism and other issues that some say go against the followers of Christianity and Islam. In 2006, the series topped the American Library Association's list of the most challenged books of the 21st century.
Harry Potter