'Harry Potter' books removed from American school due to 'curses and spells'
Students can no longer check out the popular magical book series from their library
PHOTO: FILE
Looks like Harry Potter fans at a Catholic school in Nashville, USA, cannot check out the popular magical series in their libraries anymore.
The seven-part series depicting the magical adventures of a young wizard and his friends has been removed from the Roman Catholic Parish school's book collection because of its content, a pastor at the school wrote in an email, reported Tennessean.
"These books present magic as both good and evil, which is not true, but in fact a clever deception. The curses and spells used in the books are actual curses and spells which, when read by a human being, risk conjuring evil spirits into the presence of the person reading the text," Reverend Dan Reehil stated.
He continued in the email that he consulted several exorcists in the US and Rome who recommended removing the books.
Rebecca Hammel, the superintendent of schools for the Catholic Diocese of Nashville, confirmed Reehil sent an email about removing Harry Potter following an inquiry from a parent. He also notified the faculty, she said.
The core books, published between 1997 and 2007, were written by JK Rowling and spurred a successful film franchise and a huge following worldwide. Rowling has created additional books and films within the Harry Potter universe, such as Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
The Harry Potter books are considered controversial in some circles, including religious ones. The Catholic Church does not have an official position on them but the school's pastor reportedly has final say in the matter.
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"Each pastor has canonical authority to make such decisions for his parish school," Hammel said. "He's well within his authority to act in that manner."
The superintendent continued that Harry Potter is still on the shelves in other school libraries throughout the diocese. However, she was not aware of any other books being pulled for similar reasons.
"I know that in the process, they were going through and kind of weeding out some of the content in hopes of sprucing it up and improving the circulation," Hammel said.
Overall, she said the Catholic Church sees parents as their children's primary teachers. "Should parents deem that this or any other media to be appropriate, we would hope that they would just guide their sons and daughters to understand the content through the lens of our faith," she added.
The goal is to promote engaging, quality literature and an enjoyment of reading in hopes of building students' skills and knowledge, she said.
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The seven-part series depicting the magical adventures of a young wizard and his friends has been removed from the Roman Catholic Parish school's book collection because of its content, a pastor at the school wrote in an email, reported Tennessean.
"These books present magic as both good and evil, which is not true, but in fact a clever deception. The curses and spells used in the books are actual curses and spells which, when read by a human being, risk conjuring evil spirits into the presence of the person reading the text," Reverend Dan Reehil stated.
He continued in the email that he consulted several exorcists in the US and Rome who recommended removing the books.
Rebecca Hammel, the superintendent of schools for the Catholic Diocese of Nashville, confirmed Reehil sent an email about removing Harry Potter following an inquiry from a parent. He also notified the faculty, she said.
The core books, published between 1997 and 2007, were written by JK Rowling and spurred a successful film franchise and a huge following worldwide. Rowling has created additional books and films within the Harry Potter universe, such as Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
The Harry Potter books are considered controversial in some circles, including religious ones. The Catholic Church does not have an official position on them but the school's pastor reportedly has final say in the matter.
'Harry Potter' stars Emma Watson and Tom Felton could be dating
"Each pastor has canonical authority to make such decisions for his parish school," Hammel said. "He's well within his authority to act in that manner."
The superintendent continued that Harry Potter is still on the shelves in other school libraries throughout the diocese. However, she was not aware of any other books being pulled for similar reasons.
"I know that in the process, they were going through and kind of weeding out some of the content in hopes of sprucing it up and improving the circulation," Hammel said.
Overall, she said the Catholic Church sees parents as their children's primary teachers. "Should parents deem that this or any other media to be appropriate, we would hope that they would just guide their sons and daughters to understand the content through the lens of our faith," she added.
The goal is to promote engaging, quality literature and an enjoyment of reading in hopes of building students' skills and knowledge, she said.
Have something to add to the story? Share it in the comments below.