THE Vatican yesterday slammed tonight’s Halloween celebrations as “anti-Christian” and “dangerous” because of its links to the occult.


The ghosts and goblins fun festival falls before tomorrow’s deeply-significant Roman Catholic holy day of All Saints.

The condemnation follows similar criticism from Catholic bishops in Spain who earlier his week urged parents not to let their children dress up for Halloween.

The Vatican’s official newspaper L’Osservatore Romano quoted liturgical expert Joan Maria Canals as saying: “Halloween has an undercurrent of occultism and is absolutely anti-Christian.”

Canals urged parents “to try to direct the meaning of the feast towards wholesomeness and beauty rather than terror, fear and death”.

L’Osservatore praised a church in Alcala de Henares, Spain, which had decided to hold a prayer vigil tonight, and the Paris archdiocese’s idea of having children play a lucky- dip game called Holywins instead of observing Halloween.

The article added: “These and similar initiatives in South America allow Catholic communities to have an alternative to the feast.”

Last year the Italian bishops’ newspaper Avvenire appealed for a total boycott, describing Halloween as a “dangerous celebration of horror and the macabre”.

The Vatican’s criticism of Halloween comes after it praisedthe witches and wizards saga Harry Potter – an about-face after an earlier strong condemnation of the series.

Meanwhile, officials from Italy’s Cats Protection League said it would increase patrols of volunteers tonight to stop black cats being snatched by Satanists.

http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/137270/Vatican-condemns-dangerous-Halloween

I personally know people that hate Harry Potter and other shows or stories like this. I've seen Harry Potter and so has my little girl. She knows it's not real. If people don't want anything to do it, then watch it. My sister actually didn't let her kids watch it but they could watch rated R movies with profound language.

I wish the Vatican would speak out about more pressing matters that are affecting the world.

Damn the Vatican. Not only do they edit out the important bits of the Bible, hide the paper trail that would disprove what they teach, and hide bunches of ancient artifacts that could actually do some good if they weren't locked away in vaults, but now they also straight out ATTACK the best and most awesome holiday EVER?!?!? Enough is enough. I've been pushed around by the Vatican for too long!

I totally agree. Alot of people I know dont like Harry Potter. I didnt mind watching it. I tell them yeah if I wanted something to fly across the room. I would just throw it myself!! Because if you didnt want your kids watching certain things like with cussing and all that. You cant help but not hear it because about every show you watch has profanity or whatever in it!!

This is not a surprise really. Would we expect them to SUPPORT a holiday built around beliefs in demons and such? Most religions I know of actually dont support Halloween. The baptist side of my upbringing believes it has the potential to be dangerous but not a sin in and of itself unless the purpose is worship of demons(in our family, its about the kids worshipping treats..lol). The JW side of my upbringing is very ANTI HALLOWEEN and each year I get to hear about how I shouldnt have the kids participate. I respect that opinion, but I dont agree that having them dress up and receive candy will invite demons into our lives.

An afterthought...perhaps the Vatican is speaking out at this time because of how in peril faith in general has become in the world. For a believer, it could seem like too risky an endeavor to celebrate all hollows eve at a time when sin already seems to be at a record high in the world.

Hmmmmmmmmmmm I thought it was the Catholic Church that invented Halloween...

Halloween's origins date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in).

The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago in the area that is now Ireland, the United Kingdom, and northern France, celebrated their new year on November 1. This day marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time of year that was often associated with human death. Celts believed that on the night before the new year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. On the night of October 31, they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth. In addition to causing trouble and damaging crops, Celts thought that the presence of the otherworldly spirits made it easier for the Druids, or Celtic priests, to make predictions about the future. For a people entirely dependent on the volatile natural world, these prophecies were an important source of comfort and direction during the long, dark winter.

To commemorate the event, Druids built huge sacred bonfires, where the people gathered to burn crops and animals as sacrifices to the Celtic deities.

During the celebration, the Celts wore costumes, typically consisting of animal heads and skins, and attempted to tell each other's fortunes. When the celebration was over, they re-lit their hearth fires, which they had extinguished earlier that evening, from the sacred bonfire to help protect them during the coming winter.

By A.D. 43, Romans had conquered the majority of Celtic territory. In the course of the four hundred years that they ruled the Celtic lands, two festivals of Roman origin were combined with the traditional Celtic celebration of Samhain.

The first was Feralia, a day in late October when the Romans traditionally commemorated the passing of the dead. The second was a day to honor Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit and trees. The symbol of Pomona is the apple and the incorporation of this celebration into Samhain probably explains the tradition of "bobbing" for apples that is practiced today on Halloween.

By the 800s, the influence of Christianity had spread into Celtic lands. In the seventh century, Pope Boniface IV designated November 1 All Saints' Day, a time to honor saints and martyrs. It is widely believed today that the pope was attempting to replace the Celtic festival of the dead with a related, but church-sanctioned holiday. The celebration was also called All-hallows or All-hallowmas (from Middle English Alholowmesse meaning All Saints' Day) and the night before it, the night of Samhain, began to be called All-hallows Eve and, eventually, Halloween. Even later, in A.D. 1000, the church would make November 2 All Souls' Day, a day to honor the dead. It was celebrated similarly to Samhain, with big bonfires, parades, and dressing up in costumes as saints, angels, and devils. Together, the three celebrations, the eve of All Saints', All Saints', and All Souls', were called Hallowmas.
http://www.history.com/content/halloween/real-story-of-halloween

That's what I said....the Catholic Church invented "All Hallows Eve".

Now they don't like it?

Go figure

I'm sooo glad I have Irish Pagan and Cherokee bloodlines....
I can do whatever I want!!!

I do not agree with the church teaching on many issue but here I think the church is right for a change : the commercialisation of Halloween is just ridiculous and let one wonder how stupid traditions make people follow them even to the grave . I came back from Wal Mart and people are there as if it is another Boxing Day.....not excatly but you got the idea . .

I have a straight Irish Pagan bloodline - O'Hurley

theres only one faith i like... faith hill

Nice Punkins, Bestinshow!

The Vatican can condemns breathing for all I care.

It does seem that the church does is not in favor of Halloween. I myself personlly think it is really fun for the kids and is an extra boost for marketing and one more good way to get aquainted with people in your nieghborhood.