Who can give the imprimatur?

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ThomasEugene

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i sa w abook whose imprimatur was given by a religious sister. it’s my first time to encounter such. is it allowed?
 
Are you sure that this was not the nihil obstat or (I would think more likely) the imprimi potest? They are all different.
 
Here’s a good article
cuf.org/faithfacts/details_view.asp?ffID=268

I think the Imprimatur has to be given by the bishop himself (ie, the Ordinary of the diocese). He can delegate the actual work of arriving at the decision to someone whom he trusts (like a vicar general or auxiliary bishop, or even “anyone”), but from what I understand, it has to be the name of the bishop himself that’s printed.
 
ThomasEugene said:
oops. yes it is a nihil obstat. is it allowed?
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Yes. Provided that the person giving it was appointed as a “censor” by the bishop. That’s not to question the text, only to explain that the bishop can appoint any qualified person (clergy or laity) to that post, even though we’re accustomed to seeing clergy.
 
ThomasEugene said:
oops. yes it is a nihil obstat. is it allowed?
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Yes. It’s the normal function of someone appointed by the bishop to issue a nihil obstat. Wikipedia provides some explanation. Most bishops are too busy to literally read everything cover-to-cover that is submitted to them, so the nihil obstat represents part of the process of delegating the nitty-gritty review to a qualified censor. As I understand it, this is done in accordance with Canon 830:

Can. 830 §1. The conference of bishops can compile a list of censors outstanding in knowledge, correct doctrine, and prudence to be available to diocesan curias or can also establish a commission of censors which local ordinaries can consult; the right of each local ordinary to entrust judgment regarding books to persons he approves, however, remains intact.

§2. In fulfilling this office, laying aside any favoritism, the censor is to consider only the doctrine of the Church concerning faith and morals as it is proposed by the ecclesiastical magisterium.

§3. A censor must give his or her opinion in writing; if it is favorable, the ordinary, according to his own prudent judgment, is to grant permission for publication to take place, with his name and the time and place of the permission granted expressed. If he does not grant permission, the ordinary is to communicate the reasons for the denial to the author of the work.
 
Dang it, Fr. David’s just always a hair quicker on the buzzer than I am!
 
FrDavid96 said:
Here’s a good article
cuf.org/faithfacts/details_view.asp?ffID=268

I think the Imprimatur has to be given by the bishop himself (ie, the Ordinary of the diocese). He can delegate the actual work of arriving at the decision to someone whom he trusts (like a vicar general or auxiliary bishop, or even “anyone”), but from what I understand, it has to be the name of the bishop himself that’s printed.
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Of course, the imprimatur on the Catechism was given by none other than the former Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, himself. 😃
 
I have heard some orthodox Catholic Theologians including priests say that in this modern age of technology that the (“imprimatur”) seen in many Catholic Books
certainly not all
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were given too prematurely or freely due to errors in spiritual teaching contained in some books. Is there any viable truth to support this thinking.
 
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