[Revan-47]

The Pope recently denounced the Harry Potter series saying the it destroys christianity in the soul before it can grow.
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BERLIN (Reuters) - Pope Benedict believes the Harry Potter books subtly seduce young readers and "distort Christianity in the soul" before it can develop properly, according to comments attributed to him by a German writer.

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Gabriele Kuby, who has written a book called "Harry Potter - Good or Evil," which attacks J.K. Rowling's best selling series about the boy wizard, published extracts from two letters written to her by Benedict in 2003, when he was a cardinal.

Kuby, a devout Catholic, had sent him a copy of her Potter critique and he wrote to thank her, according to a passage from one of the letters published in German on her Web site.

"It is good that you enlighten people about Harry Potter, because these are subtle seductions which act unnoticed and by this deeply distort Christianity in the soul, before it can grow properly," Benedict wrote, according to the excerpt.

A Vatican official was not immediately able to comment on the remarks attributed to Benedict, who is currently on holiday in the Alps. Reuters was unable to reach Kuby by telephone.

The sixth book in the series, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," is due to be published on July 16, with millions of copies already shipped to stores around the world.

After Benedict was named Pope in April, his own writings shot to the top of the German book charts and dislodged the most recent book in the Potter series from number one.

The Vatican had previously appeared to approve of the books, saying they helped children to understand the difference between good and evil.

Kuby maintains the opposite, listing among 10 arguments against Harry Potter: "The ability of the reader to distinguish between good and evil is overridden by emotional manipulation and intellectual obfuscation."

In one of the letters, Benedict gives Kuby permission to publicise his opinion.

"Somehow your letter got buried in the large pile of name-day, birthday and Easter mail," he writes.

"Finally this pile is taken care of, so that I can gladly allow you to refer to my judgment about Harry Potter."

Vatican officials earlier this year condemned Dan Brown's Catholic conspiracy bestseller "The Da Vinci Code."

Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone in March blasted the book as an absurd distortion of history, saying it was full of cheap lies and Catholic bookstores should take it off their shelves

[Otal Nimrodi]

I always laugh at that. It isn't really shocking though. Also the thing about the DaVinci code is that my local bookstore has a place for books like that. The fiction section! Also the stuff about Harry Potter is crazy talk. There is no evidence about that. Whenever someone tries to prove to me that there is it always seems like trying to blame Columbine on baked beans.

[floppydisk]

Yeah, my cousin hasn't read them because her parents are all like "OMG, it be the deev1l's work!"

[Revan-47]

yah, its just fiction. its just a story. if every movie was like a disney movie, what would the world be like?

[Otal Nimrodi]

Scary. Then again, I love the disney villians. I would probably make a good criminal in that world. Also, Scar has the best line in Lion King. "Long live the king" *push*. James Bond villians could learn alot from him.

[barend]

oh, ex-h1tler youth dude tells us what to watch or read again...


and reven.... there's a news forum you know...

[Mnesymone]

Though would you have posted it! WOULD YOU!
No, because you're running a dictatorial system, controlling the press!

Oh, hang on, that's the Catholic Church.

Though barend - the hitle ryouth was a nationalised thing so serving in it doesn't make him a nazi - denouncing books on the other hand.

[Slade]

2 things.

1: As Pope Sladicus, I do not denounce works of children's fiction as "corrupting the soul."

2: People who actually take the time to come up with evidence for this stuff need to be kept busier. Idle hands are indeed the devil's work.

[Jane Sherwood]

I usually get pissed off about this stuff at first, but then I just have to point and laugh and say, "Ha ha, you guys are fucking retarded!"

[Laughlyn]

I barely tolerate this kind of meddling by the church at the best of times, but in this case it is aimed at JKRowlings (a woman who's literature I have a particular distaste for). So i'm happy to shout 'Go Pope!'

*Going witch burning tonight looking for all the people camped outside waterstones bookstore. That'll teach them what witchcraft is really about.*

[Chyld]

Personally, I think a greater concern is that the first Harry Potter book is one of the most tedious things I've read in a long time, second only to that bag of robowank, "I, Robot". Sure, you need to set the scene for the next six books, but damn!

But as to the matter at hand, the choices. Do you side with Madam Rowling, because the present Pope is obviously as mad as a Cardinal-appointed hatter? Or the Pope, because "OMG its teh harree pooter"?

Methinks that this is just the Pope throwing his hat into the old "video games turn teenagers into violent killers" argument, only the Pope's never heard of video games, so he uses the next best thing. And as we may or may not know, my regards for that argument amount to "I can pull something more logical out of my ass".

[Revan-47]

As the pope you would think he could find better things to worry about. I mean, the youth pastor at my church plays Grand Theft Auto games and is one of the nicest guys i know. and the pope creeps me out. he is going to be the anti christ i think, his face looks evil.

[floppydisk]

Pope Palpatine!

[Otal Nimrodi]

Only Catholics deal in absolutes.

[Hari Seldon]

Kuby, a devout Catholic, had sent him a copy of her Potter critique and he wrote to thank her, according to a passage from one of the letters published in German on her Web site.

"It is good that you enlighten people about Harry Potter, because these are subtle seductions which act unnoticed and by this deeply distort Christianity in the soul, before it can grow properly," Benedict wrote, according to the excerpt.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I can almost picture the pope tossing the Harry Potter books to the bin, picking up his dvd player remote control and going:
"On the other hand, Emma Watson is turning out quite well indeed... *huh huh*"