Harry Potter: King of Darkness

Pope Benedict XVI's chief exorcist, Rev. Gabriele Amorth, has called fictional wizard-in-training Harry Potter the "king of darkness, the devil."

Amorth, who is also the president of the International Association of Exorcists, said the series contains many positive references to "the satanic art" of magic and makes no distinction between black and white magic.

Amorth compared the Potter character to dictators Stalin and Hitler, saying they were possessed by the devil.

"You can tell by their behavior and their actions, from the horrors they committed and the atrocities that were committed on their orders. That's why we need to defend society from demons," said Amorth, who has reportedly performed 30,000 exorcisms.

Full article:

http://www.cbc.ca/story/arts/national/2006/09/03/harrypotter-exorcist-pope.html

And here I thought Harry Potter is a fictional character.
_________________
I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints.
- Billy Joel, Only The Good Die Young

I think the Reverend Amorth has little experience with children and little exposure to secular literature.

I'd also guess that if he actually read the Harry Potter books, he considers himself uncorrupted--but had decided that lesser mortals might be tainted by a fantasy world.

"You can tell by their behavior and their actions, from the horrors they committed and the atrocities that were committed on their orders. That's why we need to defend society from demons," said Amorth, who has reportedly performed 30,000 exorcisms.

Welcome to A2K kiwimac.

I like you already !!

Harry Potter has a dark side - the bit that connects him to Voldemort. Voldemort represents all that is evil and it was only Harry's Mum's love that saved his life. He is portrayed as the "saviour" of all that is decent and honest. A classic tale of good v evil... and yet... Harry learns to defeat Voldemort through his own devices, he has little respect for authority, and less for his family, breaks the rules constantly for personal gain, bullies other kids, steals, and doesn't get punished when he deserves it.

A fantastic role model for 11 year olds! What a saviour!

Harry Potter has a dark side - the bit that connects him to Voldemort. Voldemort represents all that is evil and it was only Harry's Mum's love that saved his life. He is portrayed as the "saviour" of all that is decent and honest. A classic tale of good v evil... and yet... Harry learns to defeat Voldemort through his own devices, he has little respect for authority, and less for his family, breaks the rules constantly for personal gain, bullies other kids, steals, and doesn't get punished when he deserves it.

A fantastic role model for 11 year olds! What a saviour!