By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Writer

The Vatican has formally complained to the Israeli government about an Israeli television show that ridiculed Jesus and Mary, calling it an offensive act of intolerance.

The show, produced by well-known Israeli comedian Lior Shlein, depicts Mary as becoming pregnant at age 15 by a schoolmate. It also says 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 in a bathing suit.

“While expressing solidarity with Christians of the Holy Land and deploring such a vulgar and offensive act towards the religious sentiments of believers in Christ, we note with sadness how such serious offense is directed against Jesus and Mary of Nazareth, who were themselves children of Israel,” said a statement by the Holy See Press Office.

Shlein claims he produced the spoof as a lesson to Christians who deny the Holocaust, a reference to Vatican’s lifting of the ban of excommunication against Bishop Richard Williamson who said on Swedish TV that no Jews were gassed during the Holocaust and that only 200,000 or 300,000 Jews were killed.

The Israeli foreign ministry quickly intervened and reassured the Vatican that the segment wouldn’t be shown again and that Shlein had publicly apologized.

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