Vatican Finally Makes Peace with John Lennon

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John Lennon Pictures: Lennon
The Vatican has finally forgiven John Lennon of the Beatles for a boastful remark he made 42 years ago. What did the rock icon tell a British newspaper in 1966 to provoke controversy?

The Vatican's newspaper Osservatore Romano said the remark -- in which Lennon declared that the Beatles were more famous than Jesus Christ -- simply amounted to a boast by a young man grapping with sudden fame, Reuters reports.

"The remark by John Lennon, which triggered deep indignation mainly in the United States, after many years sounds only like a 'boast' by a young working-class Englishman faced with unexpected success, after growing up in the legend of Elvis and rock and roll," the newspaper said.

The article, marking the 40th anniversary of the Beatles' work "The White Album," went on to praise the groundbreaking group, saying it became "a source of inspiration for more than one generation of pop musicians," Reuters said.

Published 11/23/08 by the Insider

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Comments (37)

  • And John forgives the American public for being such imbiciles in 1966.
    anonymous anonymous 11/24/08 Reply
     
    • Most of the Americans here were the wing-nuts that took this to the extreme. The same peeps that Obama defeated that "god."

      BTW: I went to catholic grade school during this time and none of the nuns seemed to have an issue with this...I really don't think the catholics here really cared...but the born again wing-nuts were and are to this day a different animal.
      anonymous anonymous 11/26/08
       
  • It is about time.
    StephanieC14 148 StephanieC14 11/24/08 Reply
     
  • i doubt that john would have lost much sleep over their disdain.
    argo123 262 argo123 11/24/08 Reply
     
    • that's because there wasn't any disdain.
      anonymous anonymous 12/22/08
       
  • I think John made a real gaffe in saying what he said but as he explained in successive interviews, he was really trying to say that the fans were treating them as if they were greater then Jesus Christ. As he attempted to explain what he meant, there was no doubt in the fact that John believed Jesus Christ was a mere person and God was a thing or whatever. This to many people was controversial. I don't think John wanted to be treated as a god. But he was and still is treated that way.
    anonymous anonymous 11/24/08 Reply
     
  • Yono Oko should make a statement refusing the forgiveness, and tell the Church that their pattern of waiting decades or centuries to apologize is hypocritical of the teachings of forgiveness, and meaningless when the person is long since dead.
    anonymous anonymous 11/24/08 Reply
     
    • I totally agree; I can't stand religions that preach instant forgiveness then don't give it out for practically millions of years.
      anonymous anonymous 11/25/08
       
    • this is hilarious. The Vatican never condemned the man. Now they are simply re-stating their dismissal of his comments.
      anonymous anonymous 12/22/08
       
  • As usual the Vatican got this wrong--again.
    Lennon was not boasting from an egocentric standpoint.
    He was simply declaring that if teens had a choice to see the Beatles or Jesus, the Beatles would draw more people. It was more of an observation of the Beatlemania phenomena than anything else.
    anonymous anonymous 11/24/08 Reply
     
  • Ok, but the hiding of child molesting
    jesus freaks is still not forgiven.
    anonymous anonymous 11/24/08 Reply
     
    • try judas priests, not jesus freaks.
      anonymous anonymous 12/22/08
       
  • I am Jesus Christ!
    anonymous anonymous 11/24/08 Reply
     
  • Tell Benny the nazi Pope to shove it up his a s s
    anonymous anonymous 11/24/08 Reply
     
  • Wow, a dead person who did not have to wait centuries to be forgiven by the Vatican, for making an accurate observation that the Vatican misinterpreted in the first place.
    anonymous anonymous 11/24/08 Reply
     
    • Does this make him more important in the church's eyes than Galaleio or Copernucis? Sorry about the spelling?

      Mike
      anonymous anonymous 11/26/08
       
  • Gee thanks Pope Benedict. I bet John will finally be able to get a good night's sleep. Believe it or not, even Catholics do wait for the Pope to forgive anyone. We have not forgiven them for years of abusing our youth.
    anonymous anonymous 11/24/08 Reply
     
  • The Beatles may well have been more popular than Jesus Christ. If so, John was only speaking the truth and there is no wrong in that. However, John made multiple remarks from time to time that illustrated his sarchasim and disrespect. He was a dope head that hung out with drug runners and murderers. He even paid for a murderer's defense in court. The world lost nothing when John was killed.
    anonymous anonymous 11/24/08 Reply
     
    • John Lennon wrote some good music, and who cares if he did drugs? I mean really, no one is perfect.
      anonymous anonymous 11/24/08
       
    • wow, you really don't know what you're talking about. john lennon was and always will be the greatest musical mind of all time. we lost everything music when he died. and all over some stupid guy who read a stupid book and took it too seriously. i just wish i could have met him and figured out what went on in his head. he will always be missed by many.
      anonymous anonymous 19 hours ago
       
  • Geez, does anyone actually care? It is much easier to say they screwed up when the person they screwed over is dead.
    anonymous anonymous 11/24/08 Reply
     
  • And they wonder why people aren't as religious. God, if the Vatican quite deeming stuff wrong or incorrect (Galileo is a good example), then the world would be MUCH BETTER OFF.
    anonymous anonymous 11/24/08 Reply
     
  • I think it's pretty arrogant for the Vatican or whatever to think they can forgive people on God's behalf. Kinda gay if you ask me.
    anonymous anonymous 11/25/08 Reply
     
  • Catholicism is all about interceding between God and man. The Church does *everything* on God's behalf, because we lay folk are too "impure" to interact with God directly.
    NeilC2 5 NeilC2 11/25/08 Reply
     
  • religion and the vatican sucks anyway. Anyone who thinks they are some sort of emissary or voice of god is retarded, and I am sad that I live in a world where such people actually feel like they are better and should have power over others.
    anonymous anonymous 11/25/08 Reply
     
  • About time they finally forgive him. The Beatles rock!
    anonymous anonymous 11/25/08 Reply
     
  • The Catholic church has no right to proclaim THEY FORGIVE anybody!! God will be the final judge, not the Catholic church! How will God FORGIVE the priests of the Catholic church for molesting children for years?! And they kept covering it up by moving these priests from one parish to another. There should be a special place in hell for them.
    anonymous anonymous 11/25/08 Reply
     
  • How about all his other blasphemy? This is dumb. They just want some good PR.
    anonymous anonymous 11/26/08 Reply
     
  • john lennon who??
    anonymous anonymous 11/27/08 Reply
     
    • wow seriously? that's hilarious. everybody know who he is.
      anonymous anonymous 19 hours ago
       
  • I agree with a previous comment. I don't believe the comment was made as a boast but rather an obversation that the youth of the day thought more of the Beatles than Jesus Christ.
    anonymous anonymous 12/8/08 Reply
     
  • You say God is the final judge, then in the same breath you damn the Church to a "special place in hell". And people accuse the Catholic Church of hypocrisy?
    anonymous anonymous 12/10/08 Reply
     
  • I have to say, after reading the comments on this site - anyone who spouts such vitriol at the Catholic Church and then condemns "hate" needs to look in the mirror and see the face of hypocrisy!
    anonymous anonymous 12/22/08 Reply
     
  • I am a middle-aged christian man. I believe in Christ, His death, and ressurection. I also loved the Beatles. We all say stupid things in life, John was no exception. John did harbor some deep anamosity towards the faith. But I forgave John a long time ago. No one really understands what he went through as the worlds most famous and influential musician. I sincerely hope John called upon the name of the Lord in his dying moments. I'm sure Jesus would have had mercy on his soul.
    anonymous anonymous 2/23/09 Reply
     
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    anonymous anonymous 6/26/09 Reply
     
  • John said, " We are more famous than Jesus "...... Is that accurate ? It's easy to say things like that. What do you say ? your friend, Superbiblestar@yahoo.com
    anonymous 5 Superbiblestar 6/26/09 Reply
     
  • Read the King James Bible you may have fame in this life time but there is a judgement of what you do in this lifetime where Jesus is KING and its sad to know how far away from God our country has come but it does say that in the last days thes things must be and when you see them...be ready for time is nigh at hand
    anonymous anonymous 6/26/09 Reply