Index Librorum Prohibitorum

The Index Librorum Prohibitorum was a list of books Catholic authorities prohibited Catholics from reading or publishing without permission. First published in 1559, it was abolished in 1966.

Council of Trent: An ecumenical council of the Catholic Church held intermittently from 1545 to 1563, defining doctrine and reforming church discipline. The council's reforms shaped the church policy behind the Index.
Congregation of the Index: A Roman Catholic congregation established in 1571 to oversee the Index and examine books. This office managed later revisions and judgments about prohibited works.
Galileo Galilei: An Italian astronomer and physicist whose support for heliocentrism brought him into conflict with Catholic authorities. His works were prohibited after the church condemned heliocentrism in 1616.
Galileo affair: The conflict between Galileo Galilei and Catholic authorities over heliocentrism, culminating in his trial in 1633. The affair showed how prohibitions could affect scientific arguments and their publication.
Freedom of expression: The principle that people should be able to communicate ideas and information without undue restriction. It supplies a modern standard against which religious book prohibitions are often judged.
Paul IV: Pope from 1555 to 1559, known for strengthening the Roman Inquisition and issuing the first Roman Index. His papacy produced the first edition in 1559.
Roman Inquisition: A Catholic tribunal established in 1542 to investigate heresy and enforce church doctrine, especially in Italy. Its tribunals helped enforce prohibitions and investigate suspected violations.
Nicolaus Copernicus: A Renaissance astronomer who proposed a model with the Sun near the center of the planetary system. His heliocentric work was suspended until corrected in the 1616 decree.
Heliocentrism: A model of the solar system in which Earth and other planets orbit the Sun. Restrictions on works supporting this model became one of the Index's best-known consequences.
Freedom of the press: The principle that publications should be produced and circulated without prior restraint by government or other authorities. The Index illustrates the conflict between prior restraint and institutional control of publication.

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