Genna
So he lied to her. We have no idea what the church itself would have said if asked.
My father was an Anglican minister and was quite often asked if "the church" objected to xyz. 99% of the time he said no. (the 1% would be things like murder, deceit and crime in general.) "The Church" rarely has views. Its ministers often do, and try to put them across as Church Law. It ain't so.
I believe you are right, gregory. Why hinder people reading catholic flavoured fantasy, if they read fantasy, and you want them to read catholic literature?