Withdrawal of Books by Jesuit Ordered

The Vatican, saying that some passages in books by the late Jesuit theologian Anthony de Mello may depart from “the essential contents of the Christian faith,” has told bishops around the world to see that his books are withdrawn from sale and not reprinted.

The notice came in a July 23 letter from Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Vatican’s theological watchdog agency, to the presidents of the world’s bishops conferences, the independent National Catholic Reporter said in its Aug. 28 edition.

De Mello, an Indian Jesuit who died in 1987, was a well-known writer and speaker on spiritual topics and his writing blended insights from Eastern religions with Christian traditions.

In the United States, he is best known for his 1984 book, “Sadhana: A Way to God,” and “One Minute Wisdom,” published in 1988. He also led a series of summer workshops on spirituality over a 15-year period during the 1970s and ‘80s.

Ratzinger’s confidential letter said that his Vatican agency had “for some time” received reports about de Mello’s work and that an examination of the Jesuit’s writing found aspects of it “lead to a relativizing of every affirmation of faith and thus to religious indifferentism.”