Comedy is 'terrorism'
Vatican's attack
A comedian has been accused of terrorism – simply for criticising the Pope.The Vatican's official newspaper said Italian comic Andrea Rivera could fuel a return to political violence in the streets of Rome because of his ‘vile attacks’ on the Catholic Church.
L'Osservatore Romano launched its attack on Rivera following comments he made at a televised May Day rock concert.
They were furious at such lines as: ‘The Pope says he doesn't believe in evolution. I agree, in fact the Church has never evolved.’
The comedian also criticised the Church for refusing to give a Catholic funeral to Piergiorgio Welby, a man who campaigned for euthanasia as he lay paralyzed with muscular dystrophy, but granting the ceremony to despots such as Augusto Pinochet and Francisco Franco
In a strongly worded editorial, the Catholic mouthpiece said of the comments: ‘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.’
Published: 3 May 2007
