Merry Christmas, John Lennon

[ollinger]

Nearly half a century later, the Catholic Church announced it had decided to "forgive" John Lennon for his famous remark that the Beatles, in the mid 60s, had become more popular than Christ. The remark, in all likelihood true, was taken by Lennon's closest associates as a kind of tongue-in-cheek commentary on the absurdity of just how popular the Beatles had become, but the Cardinals were not amused. The remark lives on now to remind us of the absurdity of the Church. Forgive??? For what? Is it a sin to suggest that more people were interested in the Beatles than in Jesus Christ at the time? With its usual glacial pace, the Church now reminds us what an insular, paranoid, self-protective and irrelevant bureaucracy it continues to be. Lennon, who became a global ambassador for peace and generosity, apparently needs to be forgiven for speaking the truth.

[WildVolley]

I just read an article about this, and you're misrepresenting the position taken in an article in a Vatican newspaper.

If the Pope or the Church had formally "forgiven" Lennon, that would be truly embarrassing. Thankfully, it never happened.

[Fearsome Forehand]

In a way, that remark proved fatal for Lennon, eh?

[ollinger]

Not at all, WV. As reported by the BBC, the Church dismissed Lennon's remark as a "youthful joke," a subtle way of saying it was something people should not have paid attention to, and clearly indicated it was "forgiving" him. As I said, forgive for what?? Suppose the Beatles were in fact more popular than Christ. Is it a trespass for Lennon to say this? Forgive??!!

[max]

That's a little harsh on the Church, don't you think? And to boot, it was no FORMAL declaration, but just some journalistic squib from a Vatican periodical. Not really an official proclamation.

If you watch the Beatles Anthology, everyone there with the Fab 4, Paul, Ringo, George pretty much offer the same explanation as the church journalist does: something poorly put and misunderstood. Interesting that the religious reaction at the time came from the Protestant fundamentalists. I read a Lennon biography earlier this year, and the author also has the same kind of conclusion as the living Beatles offer.

For me the question is. . . just how SLOW a news day was it in Rome when that guy wrote that up?

[CyBorg]

That's a little harsh on the Church, don't you think? And to boot, it was no FORMAL declaration, but just some journalistic squib from a Vatican periodical. Not really an official proclamation.

If you watch the Beatles Anthology, everyone there with the Fab 4, Paul, Ringo, George pretty much offer the same explanation as the church journalist does: something poorly put and misunderstood. Interesting that the religious reaction at the time came from the Protestant fundamentalists. I read a Lennon biography earlier this year, and the author also has the same kind of conclusion as the living Beatles offer.

For me the question is. . . just how SLOW a news day was it in Rome when that guy wrote that up?

Yeah, it's interesting how the media takes something and spins it, then certain folks take that as gospel. The OP's post, for example, doesn't even provide a link. It loosely paraphrases bad reporting.

Ironic in light of the fact that these same folks will accuse fundamentalists of the same thing in regards to the bible.