Unholy row over Jesus skit

SANGUINE is not a word that rushes to mind when appraising the state of relations between Israel and the Vatican.

First, Pope Benedict XVI made the unwise decision in January to rehabilitate Bishop Richard Williamson, who a week before the lifting of his excommunication had gone on Swedish TV to cheerfully affirm no Jews had been gassed by the Nazis.

As could be expected, Bishop Williamson's take on the Holocaust did not exactly endear him to many Israelis and after a few agonising weeks the Pope offered a scant apology.

Trying to make light of the Vatican's clumsy handling of a predicament that it should never have found itself in, Israeli comedian and late-night TV host Lior Shlein went to air last week with a skit that sarcastically "denied" a few Christian shibboleths to teach the Curia, the administrative apparatus of the Holy See, a lesson.

Titled Like a Virgin, the skit denied that Jesus had walked on water and claimed that not only was Mary not a virgin when she gave birth to Jesus, but had had sex with many men besides her husband.

The reaction from Rome has been, in this case, swift. "Ridiculed with blasphemous words and images," thundered a statement from the Vatican's press office on the skit, which it said amounted to a vulgar and offensive act of intolerance towards the religious sentiments of the believers in Christ.

After a couple of thousand years of pouring scorn on Jews for not accepting Jesus as the son of God, the Vatican said it was "saddened" the skit was directed at Jesus and Mary.

Local Christian and Muslim officials climbed over one another to join the condemnation, calling for a lawsuit and an apology from Shlein and his Channel 10 network.

Two Christian Arab members of Israel's parliament, Hanna Swaid and Nadia Hilou, demanded that Attorney-General Menachem Mazuz order a criminal investigation.

The Latin Patriarch, Fouad Twal, said the skit had caused "rifts and divisions, foments hatred and distances values that the church professes, first and foremost tolerance and acceptance of the other".

With further calls for Pope Benedict to cancel a planned visit to the Holy Land in May, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert stepped in, saying he felt "regret, sorrow and disapproval".

His spokesman, Mark Regev, said Mr Olmert went so far as to brief the Israeli cabinet on the situation on Sunday, saying the comedy sketch was "in stark contrast" to good relations between Israel and Christians worldwide.

Source: The Age

i wonder if the catholics or indeed any christian will put out a fatwa  hit on the people concerned  ????


Freedom of speech, I love it.

Holocaust in my view: Two nazis get drunk and decide it'd be a great idea to kill a couple of jews. They do, it gets blown way out of proportion because jews are hypocondriacs. Especially when it involves them..

ITT holocaust in my view: Wasn't nearly enough.


Not that I much care if they mock the virgin Mary. What does it matter to me? I'm an American. I pride myself in the ability to be a disgusting asshole. You have every right to make a total mockery of Christianity.

But I guess jews are too stupid to realize that Christianity is just the bad fanfic of Judaism. By making fun of them, they're invariably making fun of themselves...

Granted Catholiscm is kind of like the creepy, alchaholic, pedophile uncle of Christian denomonations..

abu - hahhahahaha.


If someone takes a slang at Jesus, that is up to them.
In aussie everythiing is open to criticism.
In christianity we are meant to "turn the other cheek."

Not be thin skinned and delicate and cry "offended, offended, offended" if someone says somethng we don't like.


Good on you jews for exercising your rights of freedom of speech.
I'm fully supportive of that right.

Of course Jim. 4 million Jews just tripped on the stairs.

abu_rashid wrote on Feb 26^th, 2009 at 3:17am:


Yes because the appropriate response whenever someone makes fun of you is to kill them. Bravo macho man.

People can say, its in poor taste, it's blasphemy or whatever. But no cars need to get rolled, no embassies need to get picketed, no petrol bombs need to be thrown.

And they wont be - because that is how civilised people express dissatisifaction. Even if that means that they are considered Nancy Boys by the Tribals that fire guns in the air and shout Allah Akbar.

I'm kind of comfortable being a 'Nancy Boy' if it means nobody dies.

Quote:




Nothing wrong with nancy boys.....

locutius wrote on Feb 26^th, 2009 at 10:20am:

lol! Pretty much. XD