Homer Simpson is Catholic, Vatican paper declares

Homer Simpson is Catholic, Vatican paper declares

– 1 hr 57 mins ago LOS ANGELES (Reuters, NTVNAT) – "The Simpsons" just got a blessing from the Vatican.

The official Vatican newspaper has declared that beer-swilling, doughnut-loving Homer Simpson and son Bart are Catholics -- and what's more, it says that parents should not be afraid to let their children watch "the adventures of the little guys in yellow."

"Few people know it, and he does everything to hide it. But it's true: Homer J. Simpson is Catholic", the Osservatore Romano newspaper said in an article on Sunday headlined "Homer and Bart are Catholics."

The newspaper cited a study by a Jesuit priest of a 2005 episode of the show called "The Father, the Son and the Holy Guest Star". That study concludes that "The Simpsons" is "among the few TV programs for kids in which Christian faith, religion and questions about God are recurrent themes."

The middle class U.S. family prays before meals, and "in its own way, believes in the beyond," the newspaper quoted the Jesuit study as saying.

It's the second time the animated U.S. TV series, which is broadcast in 90 countries, has been praised by the Vatican.

In December 2009, the Osservatore Romano described the show as "tender and irreverent, scandalous and ironic, boisterous and profound, philosophical and sometimes even theological, nutty synthesis of pop culture and of the lukewarm and nihilistic American middle class."

"The Simpsons", which introduced the catch-phrase "D'oh", is the longest-running prime-time TV series in the United States and is now in its 22nd season.

(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

<snip>

Good grief! Either the Vatican gets its own, VERY different version of the episodes than the rest of the planet or the people there are even more stupid than politicians. :-\

On Tue, 19 Oct 2010 13:08:09 +1300, [email] (Your Name) wrote:

They watch them through rosary colored glasses.

In article , OFF Fan wrote:

And cross eyed. ;-)

Rev. Lovejoy is married, which would only be allowed in certain Eastern Rites. Don't confuse this with Eastern Orthodox, which I would not know about. Anyway, someone said he's Presbylutheran, but that might make it into the Italian version.

Otherwise, this is pretty old news. Twenty years from now, the once criticized Harry Potter books will probably be honored for spreading its message of tolerance and salvation in pop culture. Twenty years ago, television journalists commented on the show where Marge almost has an affair, and the story was handled beautifully, with Homer pulling a move from An Officer and a Gentleman. The Simpsons is tame in terms of sex and violence, which would have been the Vatican's biggest concerns, and its rare that a show lasts long enough for the Vatican to have a positive comment.

Rev Lovejoy is Protestant. They may have been referring to an old episode where Bart and Homer convert - almost.

No more ludicrous than Rupert Murdoch's papal knighthood:

The Catholic Church: We've made a few . . . changes.

No they're not, they're Presbylutherans.

"The Father, the Son, and the Holy Guest Star (#GABF09 / SI-1609) 15 May 2005 Bart is expelled by Principal Skinner for a prank at a school Meideval Festival that was actually caused by Groundskeeper Willie (who was mad at having to be the village idiot), and ends up going to a Catholic school, which is more affordable than other private schools. The only person who takes a reali interest in Bart is Father Sean, who explains he acted a bit like Bart in his day, and lends Bart a "Lives of the Saints" comic book. Marge is afraid that Bart is turning into a Catholic (which, with all of the sitting, standing, and kneeling, she calls "Simon Says without a winner"), but Homer is sidetracked by the fact that the school is having a pancake dinner followed by bingo, and when he discovers that he can be absolved of all sins through confession if he converts, Marge problems are doubled, especially when she realizes that Catholics do not believe in birth control. "

[email] wrote:

TROLL-O-METER

           5*    6*   *7
      4*                  *8
   3*                        *9
  2*                          *10
 1*              |             *stuporous
 0*             -*-            *catatonic
  *              |\            *comatose
   *               \          *clinical death
    *               \        *biological death
      *             _\/    *demonic apparition
          *     *     *damned for all eternity

"Ubiquitous" wrote in message news:[email]...

Posting the item here may or may not have been by a troll, but the actual news item itself is true (it was published in the local newspaper here as well) ... or at least as true as any news item is these days thanks to worthless, lazy journalists who never actually check the real facts!!

Lisa's a Humanist.

"Save me Jebus!"