From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Humor about Catholicism
Humor about Catholicism
The Catholic Church has been a subject for humor, from (played by Allen) and his Cardinals doing a striptease on
the time of the Reformation to the present day. Such hu- the steps of St Peter’s; aggressive priests beating up their
mor ranges from mild burlesque to vicious satirical at- parishioners and other priests; priests who spoke like
tacks. Catholic clergy and lay organizations such as the Daleks though electronic confessionals; and an extreme-
Catholic League monitor for particularly offensive and ly excitable Pope who spoke in a Chico Marx type accent
derogatory incidences and voice their objections and as he ordered Allen to "getta your bum outta Rome!" [1]
protests.
Examples of fairly mild burlesque of the Church in Father Ted
the twentieth century include material by humourists The Father Ted show, broadcast on UK TV 1993-98, follows
such as the Irish comedian Dave Allen and the comedy the exploits of three Roman Catholic priests who preside
show Father Ted. over a parish on Craggy Island off the Irish coast. The rea-
sons for their exile, which are hinted at across several
Television episodes, appear to stem from a mixture of incompetence
and embarrassing conduct: Father Dougal McGuire due
Monty Python to his stupidity and incompetence (with particular re-
gard to ’the Blackrock Incident’, which is never further
Traditional fears about the Roman Catholic Church were elaborated on, although Bishop Brennan mentiones "the
burlesqued by Monty Python in their Spanish Inquisition strings I had to pull to stop the Vatican getting in-
sketch (first aired September 22, 1970) in which hapless volved"); Father Jack because of his alcoholism and im-
victims of the Spanish Inquisition are threatened with plied womanising, which caused severe embarrassment
the ’comfy chair’ and other such innocuous implements to the Catholic Church (a "wedding in Athlone" is men-
of torture. tioned); and Father Ted Crilly for alleged financial impro-
Another sketch by Monty Python featured a song priety. Ted still insists he was innocent, regularly claim-
"Every Sperm Is Sacred" (1983) which is a satire of ing that "the money was just resting in my account", and
Catholic teachings on reproduction which forbid mastur- that it was "a perfectly legitimate monetary transfer".
bation and contraception by artificial means. The sketch The senile Father Jack is notorious for the economy of ex-
is about a Catholic Dad (played by Michael Palin), his pression and intent revealed in his catchphrase "Drink!
wife (Mum, played by Terry Jones) and their 63 children, Feck! Arse! Girls!" Their superior Bishop Brennan also
who are about to be sold for medical experimentation has skeletons in his closet. In one episode it is revealed
purposes because their parents can no longer afford to that he has a mistress and a son. This satirical shaft seems
care for such a large family. When their children ask to refer to the real-life scandal surrounding Eamon
why they don’t use contraception or sterilization, Dad Casey, former Bishop of Galway, whose domestic circum-
explains that this is against God’s wishes, and breaks into stances were similar to Bishop Brennan’s.
the song "Every Sperm is Sacred".
South Park
Dave Allen
The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights con-
Irishman Dave Allen (1936–2005) was the host of several demned the Bloody Mary episode of South Park for its
comedy series broadcast on UK TV from the 1960s to treatment of the Virgin Mary. They demanded an apolo-
the 1990s. The most controversial was called Dave Allen gy to Roman Catholics and that the episode "be perma-
at Large, which broadcast 1971-79 on UK TV. The pro- nently retired and not be made available on DVD." In par-
grammes consisted of an introductory standup routine ticular, they also demanded that Joseph A. Califano, Jr.,
by Allen leading to handsomely mounted sketches that a member of Viacom’s (the parent of Comedy Central)
continued on the themes touched on in the opening board of directors and a practicing Catholic, issue his
monologue. The comedian’s trademark debunking of re- own statement of condemnation.[2] Califano did later re-
ligious, especially Catholic, ritual throughout each lease a statement calling the episode an "appalling and
episode made for minor controversy which, coupled with disgusting portrayal of the Virgin Mary", and pledged to
some quite frank material, earned the show a somewhat have it reviewed by Viacom’s president and CEO, Tom
risqué reputation. His later comedy series continued in Freston. Bishop William Skylstad, president of the United
the same vein and included sketches showing the Pope States Conference of Catholic Bishops, sent a letter to
1
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Humor about Catholicism
Freston saying the network showed "extreme insensitiv- meet embodiments of various heresies along the
ity" when it aired the episode.[3] When Comedy Central way. One dreams of anarchists shooting the Pope.
re-aired all the episodes from South Park’s Fall 2005 sea-
son on December 28, 2005, "Bloody Mary" was noticeably Robbie Coltrane
absent from the broadcast. Comedy Central responded Robbie Coltrane portrays a naive priest who is made Pope
to e-mail inquiries about the fate of the episode with in a corrupt mafia controlled Vatican in the comedy film
the assurance that "Bloody Mary" has not been retired The Pope Must Die (1991). The plot alludes to the Roberto
and would not be pulled from the DVD release.[4] Howev- Calvi scandal and the Pope John Paul I conspiracy theo-
er, screen captures from the episode are still missing on ries. Coltrane had previously donned clerical vestments
Comedy Central’s press site and the South Park section of in Nuns on the Run (1990). Earlier in his career Coltrane
comedycentral.com.[5] had also created a television comedy character known
In a 2006 interview with Nightline, South Park co-cre- as ’Mason Boyne’ - a spoof Scottish Presbyterian Orange-
ator Matt Stone said when asked if he felt more sympathy man - who was rabidly anti-Catholic to the point of paint-
(if any) for Catholics (for Bloody Mary) or Scientologists ing over the leaves on plants with orange paint.
(for the episode Trapped in the Closet, another Season
9 episode regarding religion that had been temporarily
pulled from re-runs for insensitivity), he said his sympa- Other
thy lay with the Catholics[citation needed].
Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence
Film The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, an international
group of mostly gay men who frequently mock Catholi-
cism and promote safe sex and AIDS awareness, hold an-
Buñuel
niversary parties and parades on Easter Sunday. Their
Luis Buñuel who was a fierce critic of the perceived pre- use of Catholic symbolism is considered particularly of-
tension and hypocrisy of the Roman Catholic Church. fensive.
Many of his most famous films demonstrate this:
Un chien andalou (1929): A man drags pianos, upon
which are piled several priests, among other References
things. [1] The Essential Dave Allen (2005) edited by Graham
McCann. Hodder and Stoughton: London.
L’Âge d’Or (1930): A bishop is thrown out a window,
[2] "Virgin Mary defiled on "South Park"" (Press
and in the final scene one of the culprits of the 120
release). Catholic League (U.S.). 2005-12-08.
days of Sodom by Marquis de Sade is portrayed by an
http://www.catholicleague.org/05press_releases/
actor dressed in a way that he would be recognized
quarter%204/051208_south_park.htm. Retrieved
as Jesus.
2006-07-06.
Ensayo de un crimen (1955): A man dreams of [3] "Bishops’ president blasts South Park episode".
murdering his wife while she’s praying in bed Church Resources. 2005-12-21.
dressed all in white. http://www.cathnews.com/news/512/119.php.
Retrieved 2006-07-06.
Simon of the Desert (1965): The devil tempts the saint [4] "South Park "Bloody Mary" an immaculate
by taking the form of a naughty, bare-breasted deletion, says Comedy Central". BoingBoing.
little girl singing and showing off her legs. At the 2006-01-09. http://www.boingboing.net/2006/01/
end of the film, the saint abandons his ascetic life 09/south_park_bloody_ma.html. Retrieved
to hang out in a jazz club. 2006-07-06.
[5] Sarah Hall (2005-12-29). ""South Park" Parked by
Nazarin (1959): The pious lead character wreaks Complaints?". E!. http://www.eonline.com/News/
ruin through his attempts at charity. Items/0,1,18055,00.html?tnews. Retrieved
2006-07-06.
Viridiana (1961): A well-meaning young nun tries
unsuccessfully to help the poor.
The Milky Way (1969): Two men travel the ancient
pilgrimage road to Santiago de Compostela and
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Humor_about_Catholicism&oldid=467017349"
2
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Humor about Catholicism
Categories:
• Humor
• Roman Catholic Church
This page was last modified on 21 December 2011 at 12:46. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-
ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. See Terms of use for details. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of
the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.Contact us
Privacy policy About Wikipedia Disclaimers
3