Criticising the Church is “terrorism”

Reuters reports on a hilariously over-the-top editorial in the Vatican’s newspaper which accused an Italian comedian of “terrorism” because he made jokes about the Catholic church.

L’Osservatore Romano‘s editorial was about a May Day rock concert sponsored by Italy’s labour unions. One of the presenters, comedian Andrea Rivera, made a joke about the Pope not believing in evolution (“I agree, in fact the Church has never evolved!”) and criticised the church for refusing a funeral for a euthanasia campaigner while being happy to give Pinochet and Franco a Catholic send off.

The article begins:

This, too, is terrorism. It’s terrorism to launch attacks on the Church. It’s terrorism to stoke blind and irrational rage against someone who always speaks in the name of love, love for life, and love for man.

Good grief.

UPDATE: (5 May) 28 Italian MPs have publically criticised the Vatican paper for trivialising terrorism.

Threats and terrorism are things too serious to be confused with words


5 Responses to “Criticising the Church is “terrorism””

  1. Stuart says:

    Would it be terrorism if the Catholic church handed over the Serbian war criminal they appear to be offering ‘sanctuary’ to?

  2. Chris Hughes says:

    “It’s terrorism to stoke blind and irrational rage against someone who always speaks in the name of love, love for life, and love for man.”

    Who’s that, then?

  3. Marc says:

    “It’s terrorism to stoke blind and irrational rage against someone who always speaks in the name of love, love for life, and love for man.”

    Oh they TALK a good fix, but like most Rouge Traders what they say and what they deliver are two entirely different things. For example, If the Catholic Chuch laid roads, the tarmac would peel off as soon as we had a warm day. Curiously, like many rouge traders they also live in lavish luxury…

  4. jamal says:

    Id have to agree thats a tad trivial!

  5. babs says:

    I’ve said it on my Italian blog already: if Andrea is a terrorist then lots of us are!!
    The Church is trying to hide behind smokescreen issues more and more to cover the blatant, monumental, hypocrisy of many of their men and their antiquated system…worse, this institution offers sanctuary to many priests who have abused children and are quite likely to continue to do so…I see no love there or respect!! No sense of responsability. Yet, mass murderers and dictators are treated as honoured guests!!

    Bravo Andrea! Some one had to say these things and you did. We applaud you!