Harry Potter not Satanic
The week's news at a glance.
Vatican City
The Vatican said this week that the Harry Potter books about wizards and witches help children “to see the difference between good and evil.” At the release of a report on New Age religions, Father Peter Fleetwood said, “I don’t think there’s anyone in this room who grew up without fairies, magic, and angels in their imaginary world.” Such children’s stories are no threat to Catholicism, he said. Instead, he blamed New Age spiritual trends, such as yoga, Zen Buddhism, and Gaea worship, for competing with Christianity for people’s souls.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
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.
-
Strava vs. Garmin: the row splitting the running community
Under The Radar The legal dispute between the two titans of exercise tech is like ‘Mom and Dad fighting’
-
Bad Bunny: Why MAGA is incensed
Feature The NFL announced Latino artist Bad Bunny as the Super Bowl halftime headliner, sparking MAGA outrage
-
Supreme Court: Judging 20 years of Roberts
Feature Two decades after promising to “call balls and strikes,” Chief Justice John Roberts faces scrutiny for reshaping American democracy