Evil Harry Potter, by the Vatican
TEEN wizard Harry Potter was described by The Vatican yesterday as “the wrong kind of hero”.
The character created by JK Rowling was criticised because her books portray “witchcraft as positive” and “violence becomes good, if in the right hands”.[>
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An article in the Vatican’s official newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano, said it was wrong to compare Rowling’s books with children’s greats such as Lord Of The Rings and the Chronicles Of Narnia.[>
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The authors of these works – JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis – were Christians. Rowling’s religious beliefs are not known. [>
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The article also said the Potter books had led to an “unhealthy interest” from youngsters in Satanism.[>
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The attack comes after the Potter series was slammed by Pope Benedict XVI who said it undermined children’s religious development by blurring the line between good and evil. [>