Harry Potter in good faith

Is it possible that Pope Benedict, a Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, really takes a dim view of JK Rowling’s series of Harry Potter books?

His response two years ago to a German critic of the Potter series, Gabriele Kuby, seems to suggest so, praising his correspondent’s bid to “enlighten people about Harry Potter”.

There is no record of Cardinal Ratzinger actually having read the Potter books; it does seem unlikely that his rigorous intellect would regard as inviting the prospect of consuming literature aimed at adolescents.

Significantly, the future pope redirected Ms Kuby to an official of the Pontifical Council for Culture, who had read the books, and was therefore qualified to arrive at a reasoned response. As we report this week, the official, Mgr Peter Fleetwood, took a benign view of the Potter books. In doing so, he reflected prevailing Church thinking on the question of Harry Potter’s magic.

Ms Rowling’s stories revolve round the age-old struggle between good and evil. Her readers are left in no doubt as to which side they are asked to back: Harry Potter, his friends and his guardians, who all represent the Christian virtues of love, friendship, self-sacrifice and courage.

Potter critics do not dispute this. Their fear is that the world of wizardry in Potter might seduce young people to explore the sinister world of the occult. Some have gone as far as suggesting that Ms Rowling is being used by the devil, unwittingly so, for that purpose.

None of the critics has offered empirical evidence which might support their concerns. Indeed, it is reasonable to presume that individuals who are drawn towards experimenting with the occult find inspiration less in juvenile fiction than in various New Age fads and abuses of astrology.

Readers of the books understand that the world of Harry Potter is not an introductory course in witchcraft. Only the most fanciful would assume that the magic in Ms Rowling’s books can be simulated in reality. Harry Potter is a fantasy. It will not produce a new wave of wiccans, just as Tom Sawyer did not create a culture of truancy and the Superman comics did not result in mass leapings from high buildings. Harry Potter books can be dangerous only to those who have difficulty distinguishing between fantasy and reality.

There are many who see an allegory with Christianity in the Potter story. The author John Granger in his book Looking for God in Harry Potter argues that the magic endorsed in the series is “incantational”, which he describes as being about “harmonising with God by imitation”. He contrasts this with “invocational” magic, which calls in “evil spirits for power or advantage-always a tragic mistake”.

In this view, the Potter books do not promote the occult, and certainly are not “demonic”, as some have charged.

Little is accomplished by banning Harry Potter from bookshelves on grounds of vague fears. Indeed, we should take delight from seeing children (and adults) being absorbed by literature, never mind such hefty volumes as the Harry Potter books.

If there is a downside to the Harry Potter phenomenon, it is that the hype surrounding it deflects attention from the wealth of good-even superior children’s literature that is available.

JK Rowling’s series provides parents and parish youth groups with a splendid catechetical opportunity to discuss with young people the occult and the dangers it presents, and the battle between good and evil. For this reason alone, we should embrace Harry Potter.