Wellington, New Zealand
New Zealand’s Catholic bishops urged the faithful to boycott a television station because of its decision this week to air a South Park episode that mocks the Virgin Mary. The “Bloody Mary” episode of the popular American animated series features a menstruating statue. “Press freedom is not a license to incite intolerance or to promote hatred or derision based on religion,” the bishops said in a joint letter to congregants. Rick Friesen, head of the company that runs the station, said Catholics who think they wouldn’t enjoy the show should not watch it.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
The African asylum seekers fighting for Israel in GazaUnder the Radar 'Quid pro quo' recruitment offer condemned as unethical as Israel seeks to address shortage of soldiers
-
Instagram rolls out teen accounts with new limitsSpeed Read After facing pushback over child safety, Meta announced that all users under 18 will have their Instagram accounts modified
-
Arizona official sues to bar 100K from local votingSpeed Read A large number of residents who have not submitted citizenship documents might be prevented from voting in the battleground state's elections
