Vatican allows blaspheming Netflix to advertise on building

Does this seem right to you?

What is the problem?

Netflix has a show which is horrifically blasphemous, timed for Christmas – the bastards – about a “gay” (I hate that word) Christ.

So, does that seem right to you? Advertise a Netflix film on the side of a Vatican-owned building?

What could possibly have persuaded the powers to be to do that?

1) Lots of money
2) The people who approved it also approve of what Netflix did in that blasphemous show

About Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Fr. Z is the guy who runs this blog. o{]:¬)
This entry was posted in Sin That Cries To Heaven, The Coming Storm, What are they REALLY saying?, You must be joking! and tagged , . Bookmark the permalink.

40 Comments

  1. Ms. M-S says:

    No. Just no.
    3) Birds of a feather flock together.

  2. hwriggles4 says:

    My blood pressure goes up these days when I see priests portrayed on television today. Although there are exceptions, like a few episodes of “Adam 12” and “Dragnet.”

    One notable exception I have seen today is on a couple “Law and Order:SVU ” episodes. Sonny Carisi, a Catholic character who discusses Mass attendance and seems to stay out of trouble, has said things like “95 percent of priests are good people ” and one time after solving a sex crime that involved a Protestant minister fathering a child, Carisi said:

    “My priest growing up saved my life. It’s a shame that the media only covers about the bad ones. ”

    I couldn’t have said that better myself.

  3. FrAnt says:

    I chuckled a bit during the Responsorial Psalm at Mass yesterday morning. “Lord, come and save us.” Oh, how I pray this often.

  4. veritas vincit says:

    I’m not familiar with the blasphemous Netflix show Father Z cites. Does anyone know what it is?

    As far as TV shows go, I also remember “Hell Town” with Robert Blake sympathetically portraying a Catholic priest in an inner-city neighborhood.

  5. Probably Peter’s Pence money went to finance this Netflix show, like it did that Elton John biopic that contains pornographic or near-pornographic scenes. (Even if it wasn’t dirty, what has an Elton John biopic got to do with the mission of Peter’s Pence?)

    I cancelled Netflix. And I will give $0.00 to Peter’s Pence. Same goes for the USCCB, the leftist Catholic Campaign for Human Development, and any bishop’s appeals. I am sick of the hierarchy not only using me as raw material for their social and liturgical experiments, but wasting my hard-earned dough on things that at best have nothing to do with the Catholic faith, and at worst fund the destroyers of the Catholic faith. I will give only to legit Catholic enterprises and to my parish. And parish donations are earmarked for specific purposes, lest any of it fall into the hands of the bishop’s conference.

  6. SemperServusDei says:

    Sad to say, I can no longer read anything the Pope writes or says. I am a faithful Catholic who prays the traditional Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary each day for the restoration of the Church, but I can no longer trust the Vatican hierarchy… and I cannot even believe that I am saying this! God help us all, and may Mary intercede for the Church!

  7. Just Some Guy says:

    Well, look at what film Netflix was pushing out in June..
    https://youtu.be/QrOwxPPfzy8

  8. Just Some Guy says:

    “Writer-director Juan Antin reportedly labored for 14 years to create his animated production Pachamama, named for the Andean goddess of the earth, which is now available to stream on Netflix.

    The feature follows a 10-year-old boy with dreams of becoming a shaman. One day, his family’s village in the Andes is visited by an Incan tax collector, who takes all their crops and a small golden statue they believe brings them good fortune. The boy must team up with a girl named Naira to go on a quest to retrieve the idol, drawing on the help of a great condor known as Pachamama for guidance. The first trailer lays out this plotline, as well as giving us our first glimpses at Antin’s unique animation style. The bright colors and line work are reminiscent of the textiles of the region, lending a sense of history to the visuals.”

    SOURCE: Remezcla

  9. abdiesus says:

    Well, at least this prompted me to finally get off my duff and cancel my Netflix. Just sorry I didn’t do it a lot sooner. In light of that I’m also going to do some reparation – can I offer that with Adoration, would that be appropriate? I’m a convert so not as familiar as I should be with how things are done….thanks in advance for any info….

    P.S. Thanks Fr. Z for all your work here @ wdtprs – very helpful.

  10. Benedict Joseph says:

    At this point in time could we expect elsewise?

  11. ChrisP says:

    James Martin SJ would have no problems with this. He was after all pointing folk on Twitter to an Amerika article justifying the scandalous use of Peters Pence, and he will have known things about all of this activity.

    Are there Three Wise Men in the Vatican at all these days?

  12. Rob in Maine says:

    “Controversy over the Porta Dos Fundos film comes as Netflix releases the trailer for a new series titled “Messiah,” which is produced by Mark Burnett and Roma Downey and expected to portray Jesus in a more reverent light.

    “Messiah promises to be a fascinating series for viewers of every faith, and a thrilling drama filled with multi-layered characters set on a global stage,” said Cindy Holland, vice president of original content for Netflix, earlier this month.”

    A “fascinating series for viewers of every faith” means blasphemous for Catholics and other conservative Christians.

  13. Gab says:

    A few days ago I saw that James Martin had used a screen shot from this blasphemous show on one of his tweets about the only topic on which he writes. I cannot understand a priest doing that.

    Meanwhile, in Rome, there is an extremely disgusting poster of Our Lord – which I will not describe – affixed to the exterior of the Museum of Contemporary Art.

    Begs the question, why do this?

  14. Ave Maria says:

    Are there even any Roman Catholics left in the Vatican?

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  16. mo7 says:

    Lord Jesus have mercy on me a sinner and on those who allow willful, public acts of blasphemy against you, through the Immaculate Heart of your most blessed mother. I pray. Amen.

  17. I don’t have Netflix ; I don’t even have cable but I have read about this by complaining Catholics and I certainly wouldn’t want to watch it. Many in the Church are going to have a lot to answer for. Old Bluebeard is having a “gay” old time pulling those puppet strings on willing participants. The world is sick and in need of the Divine Physician. Shame on that Pope for so many things he has said and done. I also do not read or watch anything he says or does anymore, but I do pray for him.

  18. Dan says:

    Almost everything netflix puts out is blasphemous or borderline (or not so borderline) pornographic.
    We canceled our membership when they threatened to pull production for Georgia for passing pro life laws.
    Now they have gay Jesus, plus most of what they have on is at best a near occasion of sin.
    It is time for Christians to start putting their money where their mouth is and start dumping this company and all the others. How much offense to Our Lord and our Lady are we willing to tolerate for the sake of a good story? We say we are willing to die for Christ but can’t even turn off the damned TV for Him. and I include myself in that ‘we’

  19. Suburbanbanshee says:

    Roma Downey is being coy, but it looks like Messiah is an Antichrist show.

  20. Mary Jane says:

    I would encourage everyone to cancel their Netflix subscription and let them know why you are canceling!

  21. Kathleen10 says:

    Rome has lost the faith. They approve of this content, not only is it no problem, it’s all good.
    Anita Moore, the Elton John biopic contains graphic homosexual sex, which will soon be shown on Delta Airlines in-flight movies. So much for protecting passengers including children from homo-porn on flights.
    There is an all out blitz on Jesus Christ in the West. We need to stay faithful so He has some friends.

  22. Filiolus says:

    Another question is why a poster for THAT show, which by all appearances presents a biased and false “history” of the transition between BXVI and PF.

  23. Semper Gumby says:

    Rob in Maine: On the other hand, the Satan in Roma Downey’s “Bible” mini-series resembled Obama.

    Suburbanbanshee: You might be right.

    Meanwhile, a couple of Muslim blogs are speculating that Roma Downey has secretly converted to Islam and the Netflix “Messiah” series is about the Muslim False Messiah “Dajjal.” This False Messiah gathers an army of Jews and other Undesirables, but then the whole lot is exterminated by the “Prophet Jesus.” Everybody’s happy, except for, of course, the Jews.

    And…over in Pagan Cyberland, several commenters have set down their Tarot Cards and Fire Bowls to opine that if Roma Downey is involved then “Messiah” will be chock full of white privilege and Christian privilege. One silly witch fumes that Netflix sold out to Christianity and Roma Downey, then soothes her sister/trans/non-binary witches by saying that Christians will be repulsed by the “Messiah” actor’s Middle Eastern skin color and promptly lose their faith.

    Now that’s quality entertainment.

  24. JARay says:

    My thanks to everyone. I now know what NOT to watch.

  25. veritas vincit says:

    The snipper that “Rob in Maine” posted above is from this Christian Post article.

    Basically, there are 2 Netflix shows. The blasphemous show about a “gay Jesus” is The First Temptation of Christ (billed as a “satirical special” by a Brazilian “comedy” group.

    The other show, Messiah, which Roma Downey is involved in, is the one “expected to portray Jesus in a more reverent light”. I would be surprised if Downey were involved in anything blasphemous; she has been involved in many faithful Christians shows going all the way back to the Touched By an Angel TV series.

    That, of course, doesn’t exonerate Netflix by any means. But it does clarify the Messiah series and Downey’s involvement.

  26. WVC says:

    Hmmm . . . an advertisement for a movie that shows Pope Benedict as the bad guy and Pope Francis as the good guy (from what I hear from reviews – not planning to watch it myself). Now I wonder why that movie would be advertised at the Vatican . . . it’s a mystery.

    While I’m not defending Netflix, the truth is there’s not a hair’s difference between them and Disney and Amazon and Apple and Google and whomever, who are all “content creators” on their streaming channels. They all share a hedonistic, anti-Christian set of values. We lost the culture war, mostly because we failed to engage in the fight in our own homes and with our own children, and losing a war has consequences. This is one of those consequences. While I encourage anyone and everyone to cancel their Netflix subscription, if you’re doing it because you think it’s going to make an impact on Netflix you’re doing it for the wrong reason.

    The sad or ironic thing about it is India and China, two huge markets that are predominately NOT Christian, are doing more to keep these major studios in check. Because they still abhor disgusting sexual abominations, the studios are reluctant to go “full woke” for fear of alienating those foreign audiences or getting banned by their government censors. Talk about living in a crazy world during some crazy times!

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  28. DeaconCharleyWaite says:

    Count on James Martin to find the purple lining to this dark cloud.

  29. JonPatrick says:

    I wonder when Netflix will do a movie about a gay Muhammad? I won’t hold my breath.

    At home we do have cable but only for things like Fox News and CSPAN to keep up on the latest news such as the Impeachment Stalinist Show Trial / Star Chamber going on at the moment.

    For entertainment we watch old shows on Amazon Prime such as Dr. Quinn and the Waltons. Most of the new stuff they promote looks like garbage so we skip over that.

  30. Peter Stuart says:

    What a message the church sends to struggling SSA Catholics like me. If I ever donate to this outfit again it’ll be in $3 bills.

  31. jaykay says:

    Some interesting info on the Netflix “Messiah”, from the BBC’s website:

    “Netflix released the first trailer for its upcoming thriller Messiah this week – and inadvertently revealed a major plot twist to many Muslim viewers.
    The show centres on a Christ-like man who performs miracles around the world.
    But the character’s name is a huge nod to Dajjal, a false prophet in Islamic theology comparable to the Antichrist.”

    The link: https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-50691775

  32. TWF says:

    Supporting Netflix in any way is wrong, even if you don’t make use of their questionable content? If that’s so, why is it ok to support Amazon when they also offer questionable content? Or for that matter, YouTube…
    I’m sincerely asking where we draw the line.

  33. Mightnotbeachristiantou says:

    I think after watching the trailer to the Messiah . Im not sure if I would call it blasphemous.It might be useful depending how they show it. If they put it out weekly as opposed to a dump for bing watching. It would give a chance to show/tell other what the Bible actually says about the Messiah. But it might be to much work to actually give reason why something may be right or wrong.
    philippians 1
    15 ¶ Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will:
    16 The one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds:
    17 But the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel.
    18 What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice.

  34. Imrahil says:

    What TWF said. There is a duty not to participate in sin; there is no duty not to interact with sinners*; or else we had to emigrate from the world, as St. Paul said (clearly taking that to be a reductio ad absurdum).

    In addition, there are only few things in day-to-day life that are actually blasphemous if the word is used with its proper meaning, as it should – unless you are a bad-mouthed Italian, I guess. (English swearwords are in some cases curses-against-oneself but usually not blasphemous).

    That being said, I don’t have an idea on how Netflix’s program looks like in general nor the specific series in question, nor – a rather important question – which “Vatican-owned” building we are talking about. Say: if it’s a Church, then advertisment for even the best of movies would be problematic.

    [* Unless ordered to do so by the Church in a juridic act, which long ago used to be included in the excommunications. But the point is that this is a specific punishment from the outside, which only begins to hold when decided by competent authority; hence, until a sentence is passed, no burden on our conscience at all. This is rather different from something immediately following from the sin itself and binding on us per se.]

  35. Imrahil says:

    So, for instance, even a show about (I do hate to say it) our Lord engaged in unnatural sin is, of course, horribly heretical, wrong, possibly dangerous, and so forth; but unless the makers of the show intended (consciously) to use that as a slur against Him, it would not, properly speaking, be blasphemous. And there are other, in fact rather probable, motivations: they might – heretically – think homosexuality a good thing and so associate it with the Good One, and so forth.

  36. TonyO says:

    Imrahil, that’s a good point, but I think it might be better to say that the content is materially blasphemous regardless of the originator’s intention, and it either does or does not constitute the sin of blasphemy in the originator if he or she intended it to refer to Jesus as in this light.

    I think the same thing is true of people who grow up in a home where the adults frequently use the name of Jesus as a term of exclamation, and the kids pick that up and use it that way without ever having thought about its actual content as referring to Jesus Christ, God become incarnate. (They might not even believe Jesus Christ is real.) Their use lacks the full culpability as the sin of blasphemy, but it is still materially blasphemous, and (in a decent society) Christians in who hear them use it so would rightly be offended at such usage.

    But in a practical sense, (speaking about the Netflix show), nobody could go through the very large effort of portraying Jesus in such a light without at least partially considering that portrayal as being anti-traditional, and being consciously willing to accept that it is anti-traditional.

  37. Imrahil says:

    Dear TonyO,

    thanks for the answer. – Whatever to be said about the original thing, about which I prefer to think as little as possible: the example you mention has nothing to do with blasphemy at all. We are talking here about the (“it itself mortal, but practically speaking venial”, to paraphrase St. Alphonsus) sin of (mere and unqualified) taking-our-Lord’s-name-in-vain, and that’s not blasphemy and, given that it wouldn’t be blasphemy even if done with the fullest consciousness possible, not even materially blasphemy. (If done with the fullest of consciousness, it would be a mortal sin; but not the mortal sin of blasphemy.)

    (And, of course, pious families use these names as well, but with a bit more affection, and without utterly reducing them to the level of a mere expletive; and that’s, then, not sin, but prayer. But that’s yet another story.)

    For your last paragraph: yes, anti-traditional is quite right; and almost certainly consciously so. But that’s not blasphemy.

  38. Thank you for reminding me why I don’t have Netflix to cancel i.e. because I already did when they were attempting to influence Georgia’s anti-abortion legislation.

    It’s only going to get worse. Virgo immaculata, cunctarum haeresum interemptrix, ora pro nobis.

  39. Semper Gumby says:

    jaykay: Here’s a variant on Dajjal.

    In the Middle East there’s a popular Hal Lindsey-type author, Sa’id Ayyub, who churned out books beginning in the 1980s. Ayyub writes that Dajjal may not be a Jew but instead could be a Christian. Ayyub has also written that Dajjal may not be a person but could be the West, the Catholic Church, or Israel. There are Muslim critics of Ayyub’s books.

    A popular book from the 1990s, though not strictly related to Dajjal and the Apocalypse, is Bassam Jirrar’s “Israel’s Destruction in 2022” which analyzes Koranic verses using numerology.

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