Lithuanian bishops to take MTV to court over anti-Pope cartoons


dpa German Press Agency
Published: Thursday January 11, 2007

Vilnius- The Lithuanian Conference of Bishops is to take music TV station MTV Lietuva to court over its broadcasting of a series of cartoons satirising the Catholic church. MTV Lietuva began airing the series, called Popetown, last week, after a local court rejected a call from the bishops to ban it. The series portrays the Pope as an infantile pensioner surrounded by scheming cardinals.

"Similar processes have also occurred in other countries," said Paulius Subacius, the bishops' representative in the Lithuanian Radio and TV Commission, according to Baltic News Service BNS. Some countries have already banned the cartoons, he added.

Lithuania, which joined the EU in 2004, has strongly Catholic traditions. Together with neighbouring Poland, it is often reckoned the most pro-Vatican country among the EU's new member states.

© 2006 dpa German Press Agency