Vatican Protests "Israeli" TV Show’s Abuse of Jesus (pbuh)

A few hours after Al-Manar raised the issue, the Vatican on Friday protested officially to the Zionist entity about a TV show containing ''blasphemous'' skits on Jesus Christ (Prophet Issa pbuh) and his holy mother Mary (pbuh).

In a statement, the Vatican said that "Israeli" authorities had promised to stop any such shows. The Vatican nuncio in "Israel" contacted the government after protests from the country's Catholic community about the show on private TV channel 10.

In the program, which aired earlier this week, the host attempted to humorously deny Christian beliefs - that Mary (pbuh) was a virgin and that Jesus (pbuh) walked on water - saying he could do so because Christians deny the Holocaust.

This was a reference to the Vatican's recent lifting of the excommunication of an ultraconservative bishop, Richard Williamson, who denies that six million Jews were killed during World War II.

Jesus (pbuh) and Mary (pbuh) were ''ridiculed with blasphemous words and images,'' the Vatican statement said. ''The authorities promptly assured they would intervene to stop such broadcasts and obtain a public apology from the broadcaster,'' the Vatican said.

The Vatican voiced solidarity with the Christians in the Holy Land over the ''vulgar and offensive'' incident, pointing out that the targets of the show were born in "Israel."

The program went out a few days ago, at about the time that Pope Benedict XVI's May trip to the Holy Land was officially announced.