Homer Simpson 'is A True Catholic' :

[cappie]

The long-running cartoon series explores issues such as family, community, education and religion in a way that few other popular television programmes can match, according to L'Osservatore Romano, the Vatican's daily broadsheet.

The newspaper acknowledged that Homer snores through the sermons of the Reverend Lovejoy and inflicts "never-ending humiliation" on his evangelical neighbour, Ned Flanders.

But in an article headlined "Homer and Bart are Catholics", the newspaper said: "The Simpsons are among the few TV programmes for children in which Christian faith, religion, and questions about God are recurrent themes."

The family "recites prayers before meals and, in their own peculiar way, believes in the life thereafter".

It quoted an analysis by a Jesuit priest, Father Francesco Occhetta, of a 2005 episode of The Simpsons, The Father, the Son and the Holy Guest Star, which revolved around Catholicism and was aired a few weeks after the death of Pope John Paul II.

The episode starts with Bart being expelled from Springfield Elementary School and being enrolled in a Catholic school where he meets a sympathetic priest, voiced by the actor Liam Neeson, who draws him into Catholicism with his kindness.

Homer then decides to convert to Catholicism, to the horror of his wife Marge, the Rev Lovejoy and Ned Flanders. The episode touches on issues such as religious conflict, interfaith dialogue, homosexuality and stem cell research.

"Few people know it, and he does everything he can to hide it, but it is true: Homer J Simpson is a Catholic," insists L'Osservatore Romano.

It is not the first time that the Vatican newspaper has praised The Simpsons. Last December, as the television series celebrated its 20th anniversary, the paper said that "the relationship between man and God" is one of its most important themes and that it often mirrored the "religious and spiritual confusion of our times".

[url="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/vaticancityandholysee/8069472/Homer-Simpson-is-a-true-Catholic.html"]http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/vaticancityandholysee/8069472/Homer-Simpson-is-a-true-Catholic.html[/url]

[Semper Catholic]

Ehh thing about The Simpsons is the episodes are never really connected. I'm sure Homer has been back in Reverand Lovejoy's Church since that episode aired (what like 7 years ago).

[Paddington]

Wow, I didn't realize that Catholicism was so hip and with-it. Please tell me more about this Catholicism.


[spoiler]Homer is one of the most morally reprehensible tv characters OF ALL TIME. *Kanye voice*[/spoiler]

[penguin31]

[quote name='Paddington' timestamp='1287394993' post='2180308']
[spoiler]Homer is one of the most morally reprehensible tv characters OF ALL TIME. *Kanye voice*[/spoiler]
[/quote]

He's not even top fifty.

[Paddington]

[quote name='penguin31' timestamp='1287395615' post='2180311']
He's not even top fifty.
[/quote]

Could be. I guess everybody counts. Everybody who has ever been on a reality show. Everybody with a talk show. Every televangelist.
I thank you for opening my eyes to more judgmentalism than I was already engaged in.

[add]

i watch that silly cartoon religiously and that is probably the only virtue about the show that is Catholic.

[OraProMe]

The simpsons is great but L'Osservatore Romano is a rag. I think they wrote a similar article about the Beatles.

Edited October 18, 2010 by OraProMe

[CatherineM]

They have more kids than most Catholics, stay at home mom.

[Brother Adam]

[quote name='OraProMe' timestamp='1287407797' post='2180333']
The simpsons is great but L'Osservatore Romano is a rag. I think they wrote a similar article about the Beatles.
[/quote]

+1

I love the episode where Homer chooses to be faithful to his wife when presented with the opportunity to sin, but there is plenty of offensive material on the show, and they are hardly a model Catholic family.

[Jesus_lol]

Homer is actually quite a moral man when it counts.

[tinytherese]

I'm a fan of the show (and movie,) but everything after the 11th season went down in quality and even though the show had some off color stuff, it has gotten worse over the years. Sometimes it did have positive messages in the past.

I remember seeing part of the episode where Homer and Bart want to become Catholic and I argue that it doesn't portray the Church in a positive light in all regards. Homer is drawn to Catholicism when he is informed about Confession. He basically is in awe that he can confess his sins and basically get out of jail free. He doesn't get that you also have to be contrite and resolve not to sin again. At one point he says that he's masturbated millions of times and has no intention to stop, then runs out of the confessional before the priest can say anything about that or give him his penance.

I find it odd that Romano actually referred to The Simpsons as a "children's" show. Just because it's a cartoon, doesn't mean that it's a kid's show.

[Mr.Cat]

The Simpsons have good writers that can really contrast themes with a playful sarcastic style that I think opens thought rather than closes.

The episode where Ned Flanders is spying on Lisa when she is considering converting to Wicca, and he declares "Shes on her computer straight from HELL!" Then his kid looks and says, "Dad, I think that says Dell!" I swear, hilarious. The look on Ned's face is like, "Its SO your bedtime."

[Semper Catholic]

Eh, most "model Catholic" families are in reality a whole lot worse then The Simpsons.

[Winchester]

Once a Catholic, always a Catholic. Even if out of communion.

[MichaelFilo]

If not the Simpsons, we have the Griffins.