NEW ORLEANS - The Roman Catholic Church is handing out failing grades to most of the religion textbooks used to instruct the country's 680,000 Catholic high school students.

A church committee that studies the material found that some of the textbooks avoid saying adultery and premarital sex are sins. Others depict the Bible as little more than a history book, the group says.

That's not all: It claims one textbook explains that Jesus' miracles were the result of luck.

Archbishop Alfred Hughes of New Orleans, chair of the church's national education committee, has urged all bishops to pull any high school religion textbooks that have not been pre-approved by his committee.

"There are a number of doctrinally deficient texts that are still being widely used, supposedly to educate and form our young people in the faith," Hughes said in a speech to a general convention of U.S. bishops last December.

Since June 2001, just one-third of texts submitted to Hughes' committee have received its approval. Hughes said the committee found a pattern of deviations from Catholic teaching in the books:

Tentative language that depicts Catholic doctrine as a matter of opinion, not fact

Weak explanations of the importance of church hierarchy and the church's ban on female priests

References to "partners" rather than husbands and wives

The depiction of the Bible as a historical document, only briefly mentioning its spiritual value

Presenting premarital abstinence as a way to avoid pregnancy or AIDS, rather than necessary to avoid committing a sin.

Hughes told the bishops he had "grave concerns" about the quality of most high school texts, adding that his committee is considering whether to recommend a single series of religion books for use in all the country's Catholic high schools.

About 25 publishing houses regularly submit religion textbooks to the committee for approval, though that's not required before a book can be used in a Catholic classroom. However, the committee's imprimatur makes books more likely to be approved by the 277 bishops around the country - and the prelates have final say on which texts can be used in the schools in their dioceses.

Committee members usually deem books unfit because the texts lack crucial information or contain errors in church doctrine, said Monsignor Daniel Kutys, a committee staff member.

The review process usually takes at least six months per book. Two theological experts - pastors, academics or seminary professors - examine the text for errors and omissions, then send their recommendations to a bishop, who sends a recommendation to Hughes' committee.

The committee considers the recommendation and either approves the text or tells the publisher what must be changed or added before the book can be approved. Over the past few years, the committee has reviewed about 25 texts per year, Kutys said.

Hughes' committee can also approve a book, but recommend changes or additions that are not required.