Catholic School Bans Harry Potter
Pastor Orders Books Removed From Library Shelves
POSTED: Thursday, October 25, 2007
UPDATED: 12:52 pm EDT October 25, 2007
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WAKEFIELD, Mass. -- The pastor has banned Potter. Lord Voldemort has found an ally.While Harry Potter may have survived Voldemort’s killing curse, he has been defeated by the head of a Catholic school in a Boston suburb.All of J.K. Rowling’s wildly popular books have been taken off the library shelves at St. Joseph’s school in Wakefield, Mass., by Rev. Ron Barker who believed their themes of sorcery and witchcraft are not appropriate in a Catholic setting.The book banning is the first time Harry Potter has been removed from a school in Massachusetts, according to the American Library Association. Seventeen other states have seen attempts to ban the books, since Rowling published "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" in 1998."Most of the controversy is centered around the witchcraft and occult themes," Deborah Caldwell, of the association, told The Boston Globe.The book had been part of the summer reading program for sixth graders at the school. “Harry Potter was a popular choice,” the school wrote on its Web site.Barker declined comment on his decision. Some parents were supportive. Others were angry."I'm upset it was done in the first place, and I'm upset it was done without talking to anyone about it," parent Rick Hudson told the newspaper.The Catholic church has no formal policy on Rowling’s books.
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