Comedian who satirised Pope could face prosecution

[emad]

Source: guardian

Italian politicians of right and left, comedians and even some priests yesterday deplored a move by prosecutors in Rome to put a satirist on trial for contempt of the Pope.

Sabina Guzzanti, known for her take-offs of the prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, risks being jailed for up to five years. The prosecutors recommended to the justice ministry that she be indicted because of a speech she made to a leftwing rally in July.

Referring to the attitude to gay people of the Catholic church and Pope Benedict - the former cardinal Joseph Ratzinger - Guzzanti said: "In 20 years Ratzinger will be dead and will end up in hell, tormented by queer demons - not passive ones, but very active ones."

The 1929 Lateran treaty that created the Vatican city state describes the Pope as a "sacred and inviolable person". It makes insulting him an offence in Italy on a par with contempt for Italy's president, punishable by between one and five years in jail. Indictment, however, requires an endorsement from the justice minister.

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/sep/12/italy.catholicism

---

'Queer demons': plenty enough on Planet Earth already...

[emad]

1. Lost in translation....

"go to hell and be pursued by two big, gay and very active devils":
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/2801662/Actress-faces-jail-for-saying-Pope-will-go-to-hell.html

[SpiralHawk]

2. The pope walks into a bar...

The Pope walks into a bar. The bartender says, what'll ya have, Pope? But the
Pope's grasp of English is tenuous at best, so he mumbles something in Latin.
The bartender doesn't know any Latin. The Pope gets frustrated and leaves.

I'm killin you, ain't I?

[truthisfreedom]

19. Well, this particular pope has a pretty good grasp of quite a few languages.

From Wiki:

As well as his native German, Benedict XVI fluently speaks Italian, French, English and Latin, and has a knowledge of Portuguese. He can read Ancient Greek and biblical Hebrew.<5> He has stated that his first foreign language is French. He is a member of a large number of academies, such as the French Académie des sciences morales et politiques. He plays the piano and has a preference for Mozart and Bach.

[Buns_of_Fire]

30. Now THAT'S entertainment!

:applause: :rofl: :applause:

[slampoet]

3. Truth hurts, eh?

[Javaman]

4. So I see they finally caught up with Father Guido Sarducci. nt

[baldguy]

33. Not quite

[YDogg]

5. freedom is on the march

[panzerfaust]

6. The (Holy Roman) Empire Strikes Back

Just sort of seems to me that if Dog is pissed off, He could deal with the comedian Hisself.

Oh. I guess He is, since nothing can happen, but that it be the Will of Dog.

Just like Ike, the outer cloud bands of which are over our house as I write, brings the Wrath and Judgment of the Living Dog to Texas, so Berlusconi's Italy is a Hand of Dog, slapping a bitch back in her place for casting aspersions on the Infallible and Chosen Leader of Dog's own House on earth.

Praised be the Name of the Lord, and His Prophet - ooops soooory - His POPE, His Holiness the Pope (forget the other guy, wrong dog) - Praise the Pope, and pass the faggots for, and into, the fire.

Yep. I am losing it. The Hand of Dog is going to lie heavy on me by this time tomorrow.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

7. let's see. Muslims sentence those who attack their religion.

Christians are following suit?

Flattery, indeed.

[Dr. Strange]

18. Sure seems to be the case.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=3378884

[emad]

8. Maybe a case for the Spanish Inquisition!

?

[8 track mind]

10. oh great. now you said it....

NOBODY expects the Spanish Inquistion! To the comfy chair with you!


:rofl:

[shrike]

9. I'm Catholic, and I think this sucks

Ridiculous, putting her on trial.

Wonder if there's more to it; who else has she pissed off?

[EFerrari]

11. I used to be Catholic and I was hoping it was my ex.

lol

:)

[shrike]

24. Wow! Your ex is an ultraright Italian?

You've lived an interesting life. :)

[AndyTiedye]

16. She's a Left-Winger, and It's a Right-Wing Neocon Government

[shrike]

21. Makes sense to me n/t

[redqueen]

12. Great.

More regression.

[Hugin]

13. It's only a matter of time until...

Not respecting or having sufficient supplication to Our Holy Mother of the Spider Hole Sarah Palin will carry similar
charges.

[redqueen]

14. It's depressing...

I was catching up on shows last night and saw Bishop T.D. Jakes on The Rachel Maddow Show... they were discussing this movement to allow people to discuss politics from the pulpit without losing tax-free status.

As if that's not depressing enough, Jakes says this:

JAKES: I understand that all clergy are also citizens and they have a right to have their opinion but to use a pulpit to voice those opinions, I think, many times, it confuses people into thinking that God is for this candidate or that candidate, and then, two years later or three years later, we are horribly embarrassed to find out that the person has feet of clay.

I just wanted to cry.

What century is this again?

[Hugin]

15. From the look of things, I'd say the 12th or 13th...

Please, cheer up. :pals:

[Hugabear]

17. Imagine if we had laws like that here in the US

It makes insulting him an offence in Italy on a par with contempt for Italy's president, punishable by between one and five years in jail.

We'd all be doing time in Gitmo.

[sarcasmo]

20. I can officially say, Catholics no different than Muslims. Kick

[bitchkitty]

25. I can officially say that's the stupidest generalization I've seen today. n/t

[Zhade]

27. Why? Just like islam, christianity has its share of fanatics.

NT!

[JerseygirlCT]

22. Both of those laws (about the Pope and the president)

are nonsense.

Nothing better to do? Scared of a little comedy?

Sheesh.

[daleo]

23. It sounds like a "maverick" prosecuter

The minister, Angelino Alfano, has not yet replied to the prosecutors' request.

Roberto Castelli, who held the justice portfolio in Berlusconi's last government, said Guzzanti had committed no crime.

"I don't agree with anything at all that Sabina Guzzanti says - much less what she says about the Pope - but I stand by her right to say whatever colossal nonsense she wants to," he said.

[Orsino]

26. Is Italy the only nation in which criticizing the head of another country is illegal? n/t

[Doctor_J]

28. Remember Dave Allen At Large?

He used to tee off on the pope regularly

[happyslug]

29. This is an attack from the Prime Minister of Italy NOT the Pope.

The Italian Prime Minster, Silvio Berlusconi, is know to be vindictive and this comedian has long made fun of him. The law coverts the President of Italy and the Pope but NOT the Prime Minister. The person who is bringing the action is a member of the same party as the Prime Minister. The Pope has already dismissed the joke as a joke, thus this is NOT driven by the Vatican. My only conclusion is that Silvio Berlusconi sees this as a way to attack this comedian. Silvio Berlusconi can NOT get her for her attacks against Silvio Berlusconi, but he can use the law that technically protects the Pope to punish her.

Remember just because the law is suppose to protect the Pope (or some other protected class of people) does NOT mean it can never be mis-used for some other purpose. I believe Silvio Berlusconi see this as a way to get at the Comedian for the attacks against Silvio Berlusconi NOT the Pope.

[Hissyspit]

31. "sacred and inviolable person"

What kind of shit is that? I've never met a sacred and inviolable person in my life.

[ohio2007]

32. Pope should issue a fatwa to ...oh wait

wrong top dog