Vatican condemns Hallowe'en as anti-Christian

[FarCenter]

The Holy See has warned that parents should not allow their children to dress up as ghosts and ghouls on Saturday, calling Hallowe'en a pagan celebration of "terror, fear and death".

The Roman Catholic Church has become alarmed in recent years by the spread of Hallowe'en traditions from the US to other countries around the world.

As in Britain, it is only in recent years that Italian children have dressed up in costumes, played trick or treat on their neighbours and made lanterns out of hollowed out pumpkins.

The Vatican issued the warning through its official newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano, in an article headlined "Hallowe'en's Dangerous Messages".

The paper quoted a liturgical expert, Joan Maria Canals, who said: "Hallowe'en has an undercurrent of occultism and is absolutely anti-Christian."

Parents should "be aware of this and try to direct the meaning of the feast towards wholesomeness and beauty rather than terror, fear and death," said Father Canals, a member of a Spanish commission on church rites.

<SNIP> http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/religion/6467253/Vatican-condemns-Halloween-as-anti-Christian.html

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Spanish commision on church rites? No one expects the Spanish commision on church rites!

[RagAss]

1. A child of the Spanish Inquisition speaks out against Halloween???. ...hahaa

[jesus_of_suburbia]

2. Not surprising... I wasn't allowed to go trick or treating as a child

(fundie parents - both Southern Baptists and mom used to be a Catholic before converting for dad :eyes: - funny that he didn't convert for her)

[gratuitous]

3. Guess I won't need all these communion wafers then

But I'm glad the Vatican is weighing in on this. After all, any day that styles itself as a "holiday" should be all about the Holy See. See? But if Halloween is all about terror, fear and death, then Christians shouldn't be concerned at all, should they? Jesus himself said, "Be not afraid," and Paul famously queried, "O death, where is thy sting?" No skin off a Christian nose, hey?

[Ikonoklast]

4. Benny the Rat is just too cheap to give out candy.

He already has a scary costume, however.

Can you imagine how scared a little kid would be if he saw this answering the door for Trick or Treats?



"I vant your souls. You haff no vill of your own."