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Associated Press is reporting that the Vatican has formally complained to the Israeli government about the show broadcast by a privately-owned TV station.

The Israeli government promised to prevent any further broadcast of the program, which is iffy considering there is no censorship over private TV stations except where the "security" of Israel is concerned.

Amado

I'm thinking. I'm thinking.

Why is the article in Arabic if it is for a Jewish audience. Who writes these programs?

Why would the Jewish state wish to offend their best supporters?

CDL

Others may be in the business of being professionally offended by every imagined slight or derogatory remark, but as Christians we are held to another, higher standard.

Shlomo Carson,

You wrote: Why is the article in Arabic if it is for a Jewish audience.

There is a very easy answer. The vast number of Catholics, as well as other Christians, are Palestinian in Israel; and therefore the language the Church communicates in, in Israel is Arabic.

You go on to say: Who writes these programs? There are a number of anti-Christians in the Middle East in general, and especially in Israel.

The core of what you want to know is: Why would the Jewish state wish to offend their best supporters?. First the vast majority of Christians in the U.S. are ignorant of Israeli attitudes towards Christians. Second, for those Christians that believe in the Rapture, Israel can do no wrong. It is like how some white supremist voted for Obama to further along the race war that is suppose to occur in the near future in this country. Lastly, Israel has some of the best publicists in America, and they work to make sure that the ugly side of Israeli society is not well known here in the States.

Fush BaShlomo,
Yuhannon

Shlomo Lkhoolkhoon,

Here is a followup in Haaretz [haaretz.com] on this very same issue.

Fush BaShlomo Lkhoolkhoon,
Yuhannon

Vatican irked by 'blasphemous' Virgin Mary TV spoof in Israel

By Jack Khoury and The Associated Press

Tags: Holocaust, Pope, Israel News

The Vatican said Friday it has formally complained to the Israeli government about an Israeli TV show that ridiculed Jesus and Mary in an offensive act of intolerance.

The Israeli foreign ministry said the segment wouldn't be shown again and that its host, well-known Israeli comedian Lior Shlein, had apologized.

In the program, Shlein sarcastically denied Christian traditions - that Mary was a virgin and that Jesus walked on water - saying he was doing so as a lesson to Christians who deny the Holocaust.

It was a reference to the Vatican's recent lifting of the excommunication of a bishop who denied 6 million Jews were killed during World War II. The rehabilitation sparked outrage among Jews.

A statement from the Vatican press office said its representative in Israel complained to the government about the segment, which was broadcast recently on private Channel 10, one of Israel's three main TV stations, during Shlein's late-night comedy talk show.

In the clip, the Vatican said, Mary and Joseph were ridiculed with blasphemous words and images that amounted to a vulgar and offensive act of intolerance toward the religious sentiments of the believers in Christ.

In the show, Mary is said to have become pregnant at 15, thanks to a schoolmate. It said Jesus could never have walked on water because he was so fat he was ashamed to leave the house, let alone go to the Sea of Galilee with a bathing suit.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor said the ministry approached Channel 10 based on the papal nuncio's complaints, and was told the segment would not air again. Palmor said the station's legal adviser had also already sent a letter of apology to an attorney who represents a Christian group who had been offended by the segment.

Palmor said Shlein apologized live on Wednesday, and said he didn't mean to offend anyone.

The clip was a sarcastic response to the Vatican's rehabilitation of Bishop Richard Williamson, who said in an interview broadcast on Swedish state TV that no Jews were gassed during the Holocaust and that only 200,000 or 300,000 Jews were killed.

The Vatican's rehabilitation of Williamson sparked outrage that only abated after Pope Benedict XVI met with Jewish leaders at the Vatican last week.

During his audience, the German-born pope issued a strong denunciation of anti-Semitism and said it was unacceptable for anyone - particularly a clergyman - to deny or minimize the Holocaust.

The Vatican has demanded that Williamson, a member of the traditionalist Society of St. Pius X, recant before he can be admitted as a bishop in the Roman Catholic Church. On Thursday, the government of Argentina, where Williamson had been living, ordered him expelled within 10 days. It cited an immigration problem but also said his comments about the Holocaust had profoundly insulted Argentina, Jews and all of humanity.

The British-born Williamson had already been removed as director of the society's La Reja seminary. He has apologized for causing distress to the pope but has not recanted. He has said he would only correct himself if he is satisfied after a review of the evidence, but has said that would take time.

And here are some of the comments on the Haaretz site.

Title: Jesus NEVER existed, Nazareth did NOT exist,
Name: JMK
City: NY State: NY

there NO perfidious Jews to hate, there was no birth, no life, no torture, no death, no miracle, no parable, no nothing, all that is known is in the New Testament and the NT is 100% fiction and forgery and plagairism. All of is MYTH. What they the Christians have to worry about is all the killing they did for the reality of nothing, except social control and domination.

Title: Vatican irked?
Name: Christopher
City: Boston State: Mass

Pedophile priests. Openly antisemitic Priests promoting violence against Jews. A continued promotion of the charges of deicide against the Jewish people. That`s the present. Then we look in to the history of the Church, which included centuries of genocide against the Jews, Inquisitions, and mass expulsions, all in the name of the Church. And they are "irked" by sarcasm? Nothing like holy rollers and their self-righteous indignation.

Title: TV show was wrong
Name: Irina
City: Montreal State: Canada

I think that the show? creators should apologize and never do such things again. Jokes about religion are inappropriate, at the least.

I agree, a skeptical mind can always find something strange/ questionable / illogical in ANY religion scriptures (including Torah), so what? Let theologists discuss the details.

The main point now is that Christianity IS a religion of peace, and - unlike Islam -preaching tolerance, compassion and love for everyone. Christians are our friends, our allies. I believe that Christianity and Judaism should unite to defeat the world enemy - extremists and terrorists.

Why to dig out differences and mock them?

Title: Gee - The hate went both ways my friend
Name: American

The first people to persecute the Christians were the Jews. From the very beginning the Jews hated the Christians, the only difference was that Christianity was (and is) far more inclusive than Judaism so it spread rapidly and got into power - giving one side the power to express that hatred while the other having to take it. Had the tables been turned the Jew would have done the same, I mean, just 60 years ago they were treated like animals by the europeans and now they have adopted that mentality (Lieberman) and practice it daily with the Palestinians.

It is fine if you don`t care if the Vatican gets irked, its your freedom, but we too must have the freedom to irk the jews, by saying things about the holocaust or about the protocols of zion, etc without infringing on our right to do so or getting "irked"...remember, the Jews could always have left Europe, they were merely guests. [/b]

Title: Its always interesting
Name: Dave Duncan
City: Washington State: DC

to hear people who equate any criticism of Israel with antisemitism turn around and criticize other religions and whole peoples in such vitriolic terms. Catholics are not enemies of Jews. Why do you want every other group to be your enemy?

Title: Come on!
Name: Ben Zion
City: Montevideo State: Uruguay

Does a country need to ask for apologies for a TV show because it could have irked the Vatican? What about any Madonna concert elsewhere? Does Madonna regret for singing Like a Virgin. What about the British pop music of the 80s and 90s? Songs are still offensive for the Vatican. Vatican is a state that likes to find small tiny things in other countries, in their societies, and later plays a kind of victims role because of any offensive nonsense. In the very end, that´s a kind of political cheap extortion.... that sells newspapers. But Vatican does not rule other lands, other people`s mind... If the state of Israel has the need for any apology coming from the Vatican for any tiny offensive nonsense, I guess, the Vatican would have to take more than 2000 years to end it up.

This is the programming about which our brother, Eli, has spoken on a thread elsewhere on the forum.

Many years,

Neil

The article is taken from an ISRAELI online ARABIC newspaper that demonstrated on the show (the article is against the show and obviously written AFTER the show). Sorry I was not clear before that.
Please watch the show (linked in the site - and youtube is already fed with it) - IT IS IN HEBREW and was written for HEBREW audience mainly.

Why would the Jewish state wish to offend their best supporters?
Ask them!
It is not the first nor the last time.
Please read the points I presented and you could see that this show is a very small offensive act.


Peace,
Elijah

The last time I checked Arabs were Semites! Any who is opposed to Arabs or Jews, in my judgment, is Anti-Semitic!!!In a word, A Jew, who dislikes Arabs is Anti-Semtic or vice versa. I am redefining the word.

My friend,
You are stating the obvious
Elijah

كل من اعترف بي قدام الناس, يعترف به ابن الإنسان قدام ملائكة الله. ومن أنكرني قدام الناس, ينكر قدام ملائكة الله (لوقا 13 : 8-9)

ואני אומר לכם, כל המודה בי לפני בני אדם גם בן-האדם יודה בו לפני מלאכי אלהים. והמכחש בי לפני בני אדם יכחש בו לפני מלאכי אלהים. (הבשורה על-פי לוקס פרק יב : 8-9)

And I say to you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God. 9 But he that shall deny me before men, shall be denied before the angels of God. (Luke 12:8-9)



http://haifanet.co.il/index.php?cat_id=41&art_id=976#Scene_1

===========

Yesterday after the evening mass we decided to march...
To me, this was a heart-warming moment - just on time to give me the right push for the lent.
Even while it was pouring rain, Christians marched!
I was holding the cross with the flag, the moment they started with "Hail Mary" I could not help a tear sliding on my cheek with rain drops to complement the beautiful prayers of hundreds said as one.

Glory to God who gave all of us the faith and will to march - "Ya rab el qowat kon ma3na"

The Lord is with us all,
Elijah

While Hebrew newspapers continue to defend the stance of the demeaning "satiric" show and even attacking Christians for demonstrating against it, non-Christian Israeli Arabic Newspapers continue to represent the Christian voice in the HolyLand.

http://www.alarab.co.il/view.php?sel=00119478
http://panet.co.il/online/articles/1/2/S-180608,1,2.html

By the way, Israeli Hebrew Newspapers did not even give any special attention to the Official Vatican statements on the issue.

Because they probably take those American evangelical Protestants as ignorant buffoons. Seems to me, for good reason.

Alexis

In the fundamentalist-dispensationalist theology that undergirds Zionism, it is taught that support for the nation of Israel must be unconditional. Anyone who unconditionally supports Israel will be blessed by God. Anyone who does not support Israel will be cursed. These fundamentalists see the establishment of Israel and the rebuilding of the temple as essential prerequisites for the second coming of Christ to occur. Many of these fundamentalists also believe, falsely, that all Arabs are muslims and that all arabs want to blow up Israel.

Joe

You are referring to Christian Zionism? I have seen that attitude. I've heard of an Evangelical mission which is trying to rebuild the temple.

Terry

Look up the "700 club"