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Daily Star, Lebanon
Feb 21 2009
Vatican, Catholic bishops and Hizbullah allied in condemnation of
Israeli TV show
By Agence France Presse (AFP)
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Catholic bishops in the Holy Land expressed outrage on Friday over
what they called "repulsive attacks" on Jesus Christ and the Virgin
Mary after an Israeli TV program spoofed them. Hizbullah issued a
statement on Thursday condemning the show. "We, the members of the
Assembly of the Catholic Bishops in the Holy Land deplore and condemn
with utter dismay the repulsive attacks on our lord Jesus Christ and
on his mother, the blessed Virgin Mary, carried out on Channel 10 of
the Israeli television," a statement by the bishops said.
Hizbullah said it was "deeply concerned with the insults against the
blessed Virgin Mary and one of our great prophets Jesus Christ."
"Hizbullah puts this heinous offense in the hands of all defenders of
human rights and freedom of belief," it said. "Zionists should put an
end to their racism and their ridicule of religious symbols."
Earlier this week, the private channel broadcast a series of skits,
one of which suggested the Virgin Mary "was impregnated at the age of
15 by a school friend." Another said Jesus died at a young age
"because he was fat" and that his excess weight would have made it
impossible for him to walk on water.
In the program, Israeli comedian Yair Shlein joked that since
Christians "deny the Holocaust, then I want to deny Christianity."
Following protests, he later apologized to Arab Israeli Christian
dignitaries.
The bishops said they viewed "this recent incident in the larger
context of continuous attacks against Christians throughout Israel
over the years" and called for an official investigation.
"It is unconceivable that such incidents have to occur in Israel which
hosts some of the holiest shrines of Christianity," said the
statement, signed by the Latin patriarch of Occupied Jerusalem as well
as Armenian, Chaldean, Greek, Maronite and Syrian Catholic bishops.
The pontiff is scheduled to visit Israel in May. But the Vatican said
Friday it has formally complained to the Israeli government over what
it called an "offensive act of intolerance."
A statement from the Vatican press office said its representative in
Israel complained to the government about the show, which was
broadcast recently on private Channel 10, one of Israel's three main
TV stations.
The statement said the government quickly assured the Holy See that it
would intervene to interrupt the transmission and get the broadcaster
to publicly apologize. - AFP, with The Daily Star
Feb 21 2009
Vatican, Catholic bishops and Hizbullah allied in condemnation of
Israeli TV show
By Agence France Presse (AFP)
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Catholic bishops in the Holy Land expressed outrage on Friday over
what they called "repulsive attacks" on Jesus Christ and the Virgin
Mary after an Israeli TV program spoofed them. Hizbullah issued a
statement on Thursday condemning the show. "We, the members of the
Assembly of the Catholic Bishops in the Holy Land deplore and condemn
with utter dismay the repulsive attacks on our lord Jesus Christ and
on his mother, the blessed Virgin Mary, carried out on Channel 10 of
the Israeli television," a statement by the bishops said.
Hizbullah said it was "deeply concerned with the insults against the
blessed Virgin Mary and one of our great prophets Jesus Christ."
"Hizbullah puts this heinous offense in the hands of all defenders of
human rights and freedom of belief," it said. "Zionists should put an
end to their racism and their ridicule of religious symbols."
Earlier this week, the private channel broadcast a series of skits,
one of which suggested the Virgin Mary "was impregnated at the age of
15 by a school friend." Another said Jesus died at a young age
"because he was fat" and that his excess weight would have made it
impossible for him to walk on water.
In the program, Israeli comedian Yair Shlein joked that since
Christians "deny the Holocaust, then I want to deny Christianity."
Following protests, he later apologized to Arab Israeli Christian
dignitaries.
The bishops said they viewed "this recent incident in the larger
context of continuous attacks against Christians throughout Israel
over the years" and called for an official investigation.
"It is unconceivable that such incidents have to occur in Israel which
hosts some of the holiest shrines of Christianity," said the
statement, signed by the Latin patriarch of Occupied Jerusalem as well
as Armenian, Chaldean, Greek, Maronite and Syrian Catholic bishops.
The pontiff is scheduled to visit Israel in May. But the Vatican said
Friday it has formally complained to the Israeli government over what
it called an "offensive act of intolerance."
A statement from the Vatican press office said its representative in
Israel complained to the government about the show, which was
broadcast recently on private Channel 10, one of Israel's three main
TV stations.
The statement said the government quickly assured the Holy See that it
would intervene to interrupt the transmission and get the broadcaster
to publicly apologize. - AFP, with The Daily Star