A Roman Catholic school in Tennessee has banished JK Rowling's universally popular series of Harry Potter novels from the library shelves after its pastor decided that the portrayal of magic, the spells and curses are real and “risk conjuring evil spirits” when read.
The Reverend Dan Reehill explained his decision in an email to the parents of students at St Edward Catholic School in Nashville, declaring that he had consulted with exorcists in the US and at the Vatican before outlawing the seven-volume tale of the boy wizard’s career at Hogwarts and his battle against Lord Voldermort and the forces of darkness.
“These books present magic as both good and evil, which is not true, but in fact a clever deception. The curses and spells used in the books are actual curses and spells; which when read by a human being risk conjuring evil spirits into the presence of the person reading the text,” the Reverend Reehill wrote.
