‘Heal Me with Your Mouth. The Art of Kissing.’ An old book sparks a new controversy in the Vatican

By ALMUDENA CALATRAVA
Associated Press

LA PLATA, Argentina (AP) — Three decades ago, when he was a parish priest in Argentina, the man named by Pope Francis to be the Catholic Church’s guardian of doctrinal orthodoxy wrote a short book about kissing and the sensations it evokes. Now, some conservative sectors in the church are using the reflections in “Heal Me with Your Mouth: The Art of Kissing” to criticize the designation of Victor Manuel Fernández to lead the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith. That body was was known as the Holy Office and for centuries banned books considered sinful, persecuted heretics and enforced sexual morality. The 80-page book was published in 1995 and is no longer in print, but it has emerged as a key point used to blast his appointment.