WINONA, Minn.—A major Catholic book-publishing company has decided to put some religion textbooks on hold after a bishops committee said they might lead students to think Church doctrine is merely a set of opinions.

Father Ronald Vierling of Lans-dale (Pa.) Catholic High School is glad the bishops stepped in.

During the previous year, he used one of the targeted textbooks in class. “As far as content, there wasn't that much in terms of theology,” Father Vierling said. Teachers would “heavily supplement what was in the textbook because, if you didn't, students would lose a major portion of their formation in the basis of the faith.”

St. Mary's Press said in a recent letter to diocesan and high-school educators that the decision to suspend development of certain of its high-school religion textbooks was based on “negative judgments” made by the bishops' Ad Hoc Committee to Oversee the Use of the Catechism on several of its textbooks.

John Vitek, president of St. Mary's Press, said seven books are in suspended development.

“There are some significant concerns that we have,” he said in an interview with the Register, “and we're working with the committee to try to come to an understanding about how to create textbooks that are both faithful to our Lasallian heritage and also address their legitimate concerns.”

St. Mary's Press is an apostolate of the De La Salle Christian Brothers. St. John Baptist de La Salle is the patron saint of teachers.

Vitek explained that the committee reviews textbooks voluntarily sent in by publishing companies and, based on comprehensive protocols and standards, makes a judgment on whether the materials conform to the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

Last December, Archbishop Alfred Hughes of New Orleans said only one-third of the textbooks reviewed by the committee since June 2001 were declared to be in conformity.

A list of textbooks okayed by the committee can be found at: www. usccb.org/catechism/document/ Springlist.pdf. Archbishop Hughes urged that, whenever possible, dioceses use only those catechetical texts that appear on the list.

St. Mary's Press has three high-school titles that appear on the list: Living Justice and Peace, The Catholic Faith Handbook for Youth and Written on Our Hearts. Vitek also pointed out that all of the company's high-school textbooks have official Church acceptance through the nihil obstat and imprimatur. Because of the imprimatur, the company's nine existing high-school textbooks will remain available for purchase, he said.

However, Bishop Bernard Harrington of Winona, Minn., now requires books be put on the conformity list before St. Mary's Press may receive the imprimatur in the future, Vitek said.

Different Approaches

Citing the confidential process involved in working with publishing companies, Msgr. Daniel Kutys, the executive director of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Office for the Catechism, said he couldn't comment on the reasons St. Mary's suspended its new and revised textbooks, although he added that the company itself was free to do so if it chose.

Vitek said he decided to send the May 4 letter to about 1,500 clients because some were inquiring as to when new and revised books were coming out.

In the letter, he said publications of St. Mary's Press, following Lasallian principles, are meant to “inspire not indoctrinate, include not separate and affirm not condemn.”

He also listed points where the company differed from the committee, including:

• St. Mary's textbooks use phrases such as “the Church teaches” or “the Church believes,” but the company has been told that this language makes truth sound like opinion.

• The company believes “firmly” that presenting the Gospel to youths without changing the meaning and importance of doctrine should be done in a language they can access. But conformity reviews have asked that they give the straight Gospel. The bishops objected to “certain attempts at enculturating or rephrasing traditional formulae and technical language of faith,” according to Vitek.

• The company says it writes textbooks that reach out to those who believe, those who are searching or doubting, and those who don't believe. But conformity reviews want textbooks to affirm the believing Catholic, not encourage the doubting Thomas. Vitek said the bishops “seem to suggest” that the books should presume belief among the students and that the classroom is where “faith speaks to faith.”

• The company says it is “committed” to catechesis that encourages students to ponder their experiences — especially in light of the Gospel — and to view God at work in their lives. But conformity reviews warn against substituting Church wisdom with student reflection. “We have also been directed to remove references to typical teen-age experiences out of a concern that such references could imply that experiences of this nature are condoned by the Church,” Vitek said. He said those experiences fall under the categories of friendship, dating and questions of belief.

• The bishops' reviews also asked the company not to teach Scriptural skepticism by introducing students to the controversial “historical-critical methodology and exegesis” and to stop including references to the doubts of biblical scholars, anthropologists and archaeologists in their books on the Scriptures.

Vitek wrote that St. Mary's Press hopes for a “rapprochement” with the committee on these points.

High School teacher Father Vier-ling said the textbooks need “exactly what the bishops are asking for.” He was also concerned about the use of such phrases as “the Church believes” in the textbook. “You are putting defined Catholic truths on the level of opinion,” he said. “In other words, it's one opinion in a sea of opinions.”

He added that he is seriously considering using a St. Mary's Press book, Written on Our Hearts, during the next academic year because it's “a good introduction text to the Old Testament.” He pointed out that this book is on the committee's conformity list.

“It's in (St. Mary's Press') interests to go in the direction of the bishops because when they did, they have a textbook that did meet the guidelines of the committee,” he said. “It met our needs, too. So that should say something to them.”

Carlos Briceño writes from Seminole, Florida.