Benedict XVI-New Pope Hits Out at Harry Potter Books

Contact Music News ^ | 4/24/05

[gopwinsin04]

NEW POPE HITS OUT AT HARRY POTTER BOOKS

The new pope Benedict XVI has blasted JK Rowlings Harry Potter books for 'undermining the soul of Chirstianity.'

His predecessor, John Paul II, had praised the mutilmillionairness for her Christian lifestyle in the past.

The former Cardinal Joeseph Ratizinger is grateful to 'Good or Bad' author Gabrielle Kuby for revealing the hidden agendas behind the popular childrens books.

He said, 'it is good that you explain the facts of Harry Potter, because this is subtle seduction, which is deeply unnoticed and has direct effects in undermining the soul of Christianity before it can really grow porperly.'

[gopwinsin04]

And so Papa Benedetto's papacy begins!

[pissant]

Heck. If the books are 10 times better than the movies, he should still "hit out" at them for sucking so completely!

[Terpfen]

"Contact Music News?" No thanks.

[Pyro7480]

Catholic ping!

[ProudVet77]

This is going to get interesting!

[Antoninus]

which is deeply unnoticed and has direct effects in undermining the soul of Christianity before it can really grow porperly.

What exactly is "porperly"? Yeah, this looks like a trustworthy source...

[psychoknk]

Heck. If the books are 10 times better than the movies, he should still "hit out" at them for sucking so completely!

I wish I could write poorly enough to become a millionaire.

[AnAmericanMother]

Unsourced, poorly written, unexplained, and very brief article from an oddball website.

Yeah, I'm convinced. < /sarcasm >

[DaGman]

This is NOT an infallibility thing... it's just BXVI's opinion.

[LIConFem]

Undermining the soul of Christianity? They're just fantasy/fiction, for Pete's sake. How are the Harry Potter books different from the b'zillions of other childrens' books/stories that most of us grew up reading (Alice in Wonderland, for example)?

[Antoninus]

Leading Christian theologian UTA RANKE-HEINEMANN, 77, comments, "The Vatican feels it has the copyright on what is good and what is evil and it does not want anyone else infringing its right to this monopoly. "It will condemn anyone who tries to enter this territory without its permission."

Also from this article, but not cited above. No indication of where Benedict's quotes came from. Quoting a "leading Christian theologian" who I've never heard of who obviously hates the Catholic Church. This article has all the hallmarks of cr@p journalism.

[explodingspleen]

Any enemy of Harry Potter is a friend of mine. ;)

[areafiftyone]

Leading Christian theologian UTA RANKE-HEINEMANN, 77, comments, "The Vatican feels it has the copyright on what is good and what is evil and it does not want anyone else infringing its right to this monopoly. "It will condemn anyone who tries to enter this territory without its permission."

Ahhhhh The Pope Bashing has begun!

SOME INFO ON UTA RANKE HEIMANN:

German theologian Uta Ranke-Heinemann—one of Pope John Paul II’s most outspoken critics. She had also been a classmate of Joseph Ratzinger’s, when they were doctoral students together at the University of Munich in the early 1950s.

The daughter of the late Gustav Heinemann, president of West Germany from 1969 to 1974, Uta went on to become the world’s first woman professor of Catholic theology when she was given a church-appointed chair at the University of Essen. She also became the bestselling author of several controversial books, including "Eunuchs for the Kingdom of Heaven" and "Putting Away Childish Things," both of which sold millions of copies around the world. In 1987, the church declared Uta ineligible to teach, after she declared the virgin birth to be a theological belief and not a biological fact. She still holds a chair in religious studies at Essen—a state chair.

[Pyro7480]

My apologies for my ping. I should have checked the source beforehand.

[pissant]

Hey, lotsa crap makes the NY Times bestsellers list. Go look.

[Luna]

H'm. My sister has read every Harry Potter book, yet somehow has managed to remain an active, devout Christian. I don't see the big deal with HP. It is make believe, afterall.

[ZULU]

???????????????????????????????????

Uh oh.

[BlackRazor]

Undermining the soul of Christianity? They're just fantasy/fiction, for Pete's sake.

There are many who will argue that any fantasy-fiction that does not have an underlying Christian message is undermining the soul of Christianity. Especially those dealing with magic, demons, etc.

[areafiftyone]

This woman has had problems with the Catholic Church in the past. READ MY POST #13

[Antoninus]

Harry Potter is cleverly done, but the plot-lines are totally uninspired. And typically of post-modern literature, good an evil are never clearly defined. There's much better stuff out there for Christians.

Niamh and the Hermit: Catholic Fantasy Reborn