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Ichingcarpenter

(36,988 posts)
Wed Jul 11, 2012, 06:18 AM Jul 2012

Pope Takes German Satire Magazine to Court

Last edited Wed Jul 11, 2012, 06:50 AM - Edit history (1)

Heavenly justice can only be administered by God, but on Earth, it is a job for the courts. Which is why Pope Benedict XVI has now had a cease and desist order filed against the German satire magazine Titanic. Matthias Kopp, spokesperson for the German Bishops' Conference, confirmed to SPIEGEL ONLINE that archbishop Angelo Becciu has contracted a law firm in the Western German city of Bonn in the name of the Pope.

The front and back covers of the current issue of the magazine are illegal and harm the holy father's legal rights, says Kopp. "Titanic oversteps every measure of decency," he says.

On Tuesday, a state court in Hamburg issued a temporary injunction against the magazine, a court spokesperson said. Under threat of a fine, Titanic is no longer allowed to distribute the issue and the picture is not allowed to be published on the Internet. Issues already in circulation, however, don't have to be recalled, the court ruled.


In the current cover, Pope Benedict appears in a religious cassock that is soiled yellow below the waist. Above the picture appears the headline "Hallelujah in the Vatican: The leak has been found!" On the back cover of the issue, the pope appears from behind and the stains are brown rather than yellow.

The picture and headline are in reference to the recent scandal that has rocked the Vatican: a flood of private letters to the pope and his close associates have been leaked to the Italian media in recent months, eventually making their way into a book, which has become an instant bestseller.
Big Fan of Fanta

Titanic editor-in-chief Leo Fischer refutes the claims that the pictures damage the Pope's personal rights. "Benedict must have misunderstood," says Fischer. The title, he says, merely shows a pope that had spilled his drink when celebrating with a glass of soda after the Vatileaks scandal was solved, he says. "Everyone knows that the Pope is a big fan of Fanta," says Fischer.

Fischer expressed disappointment following the Hamburg court ruling. "This is a huge mistake," says Fischer. He noted that satire is given significant leeway in Germany -- and said he is prepared for a long court battle.



Link added sorry
http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/pope-benedict-xvi-sues-german-satire-magazine-titanic-a-843690.html


BTW Fanta was a company created by Coke
to make soft drinks in Nazi Germany by passing US laws on trade with the Nazis.

Also the Vatican Leaks are a big thing in Europe exposing banking, pedophile and other malfeasance of the Catholic Church hierarchy.

5 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Pope Takes German Satire Magazine to Court (Original Post) Ichingcarpenter Jul 2012 OP
Link KurtNYC Jul 2012 #1
Once again, a reactionary lawsuit against free speech backfires. qb Jul 2012 #2
I never would have seen this if he'd hadn't sued. NYC Liberal Jul 2012 #3
...exactly. Lucy Goosey Jul 2012 #5
Humorless in the faux country on the banks of the Tiber, aren't they? marmar Jul 2012 #4

qb

(5,924 posts)
2. Once again, a reactionary lawsuit against free speech backfires.
Wed Jul 11, 2012, 09:15 AM
Jul 2012

What would have been a localized, short-lived embarrassment to the pope is becoming a world-wide internet sensation. These dumb-asses never learn!

NYC Liberal

(20,132 posts)
3. I never would have seen this if he'd hadn't sued.
Reply to qb (Reply #2)
Wed Jul 11, 2012, 09:34 AM
Jul 2012

I don't understand why people haven't gotten this yet.

Lucy Goosey

(2,940 posts)
5. ...exactly.
Reply to qb (Reply #2)
Wed Jul 11, 2012, 09:47 AM
Jul 2012

Never mind that use of these images is, I would think, covered by fair use (they would be in the US, ask Jerry Falwell), they have just created a reason for the whole internets to start circulating and reposting the photos. I guess pope Ben hasn't heard of the Streisand Effect.

I believe the correct term, on the internet at least, for what the pope is feeling is "butthurt".

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