Dear Leon:

Fr. Chardin was criticized during his lifetime by the Holy See and by his Order primarily over his views about original sin.

On June 30, 1962, the Sacred Congregation of the Holy Office issued a monitum (warning) regarding the writings of Father Teilhard de Chardin:

Admonition

"Several works of Fr. Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, some of which were posthumously published, are being edited and are gaining a good deal of success.

"Prescinding from a judgement about those points that concern the positive sciences, it is sufficiently clear that the above-mentioned works abound in such ambiguities and indeed even serious errors, as to offend Catholic doctrine.

"For this reason, the most eminent and most revered Fathers of the Holy Office exhort all Ordinaries as well as the superiors of Religious institutes, rectors of seminaries and presidents of universities, effectively to protect the minds, particularly of the youth, against the dangers presented by the works of Fr. Teilhard de Chardin and of his followers.

In 1981 this decision was affirmed as reported in a Communiqué of the Press Office of the Holy See (appearing in the English edition of L'Osservatore Romano, July 20, 1981), under the auspices of Pope John Paul II:

"The letter sent by the Cardinal Secretary of State to His Excellency Mons. Poupard on the occasion of the centenary of the birth of Fr. Teilhard de Chardin has been interpreted in a certain section of the press as a revision of previous stands taken by the Holy See in regard to this author, and in particular of the Monitum of the Holy Office of 30 June 1962, which pointed out that the work of the author contained ambiguities and grave doctrinal errors.

"The question has been asked whether such an interpretation is well founded.

"After having consulted the Cardinal Secretary of State and the Cardinal Prefect of the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which, by order of the Holy Father, had been duly consulted beforehand, about the letter in question, we are in a position to reply in the negative. Far from being a revision of the previous stands of the Holy See, Cardinal Casaroli's letter expresses reservation in various passages—and these reservations have been passed over in silence by certain newspapers—reservations which refer precisely to the judgement given in the Monitum of June 1962, even though this document is not explicitly mentioned."

To my knowledge this monitum has never been revoked, which means the censure is still in effect, meaning that the faithful are still warned about Fr. Chardin's writings.

If Pope John Paul II, who affirmed the monitum, or Pope Benedict XVII quoted Fr. Chardin (and that would have to be confirmed since there are many spurious quotations attributed to them) it is because they had the knowledge, training, and competence to discern the good from the bad in his writings.

It is rare that anyone would have writings that are 100% dangerous. But, discerning what portions of writing are okay and those that are not is usually very difficult. That is the reason these warnings are issued. The rank and file faithful do not have the knowledge, training, and competence to discern the good from the bad in someone's writing and thereby may become confused or even lead astray from authentic Catholic teaching. The Church has a duty to protect the faithful.

Bottomline: The writings of Father Teilhard de Chardin are under admonition and monitum still in effect and thereby should not be considered safe Catholic reading.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary