Forty-two years after John Lennon made his infamous remark about The Beatles being bigger than Jesus, the Vatican has finally forgiven Lennon for his slip of the tongue in 1966.
It was announced on November 23 2008, that the official Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano had forgiven John Lennon for his comment.
In an interview with journalist and Beatles confidant Maureen Cleave in 1966 Lennon said: “Christianity will come and go. It will vanish and shrink. I needn’t argue about that. I know I’m right and I will be proved right. We’re more popular than Jesus right now. I don’t know which will go first, rock and roll or Christianity”.
The interview produced a serious amount of controversy worldwide, particularly in the southern states of America.
Lennon’s comment resulted in people producing death threats and recording burnings of The Beatles’ albums, throwing doubts on their impending tour at the time.
Lennon later said that his comments had been “more or less” taken out of context, and he was merely stating an unfortunate fact.
Although this news story began over 40 years ago, controversy still surrounds the issue to this day, with a recently published book stating that Lennon sold his soul to the devil for fame and paid the price for it in 1980 when he was assassinated.
Perhaps the incident can now come full circle with the Vatican praising The Beatles’ music on the 40th Anniversary of the release of their White album.
L’Osservatore Romano forgives Lennon for his remark, calling it a product of “showing off bragging, by a young English working-class musician who had grown up in the age of Elvis Presley and rock and roll and had enjoyed unexpected success”.
The Vatican article then goes on to praise The Beatles, calling the White album a “magical, musical anthology”.
However, not all people who have been condemned by the Vatican due to their music have been forgiven like Lennon.
Closer to home, Brian McFadden, who released his second single from his solo album Irish Son in 2004, was caught in a storm of controversy despite the song reaching number six in the UK Charts.
McFadden was condemned for his use of a Christian Brothers school in Sutton, while the song lyrics implied McFadden had been physically abused at the school.
Some of the lyrics from the song included “We were warped by the Christian Brothers/In the cell blocks at our schools/ Get a handprint on your skin/From a glove of jewels”.
The song criticised the alleged negative hold the Catholic Church held on Irish society in the past. McFadden himself claimed in the song “it was leaving that saved me”.
The video for the song eventually had to be pulled by the record label due to the controversy surrounding it.
In a world where apparently all have freedom of speech, interference from outside institutions like the Catholic Church seems to strike hypocritical to me. Just because one person doesn’t agree with what you are saying, doesn’t give them the right to condemn them.
Although to some, what Lennon said in 1966 may seem distasteful and immature. Even if that it is the case, he was free to do so as it was his opinion. It is the same with McFadden. He is free to express himself musically how he likes, without having to come under criticism from religious organisations because of it.
While Lennon may have been finally forgiven by the Catholic Church, he should never have been condemned in the first place.
The people who need forgiveness are the headline writers who keep referring to the Vatican “forgiving” John Lennon. The Osservatore Romano article nowhere says the church either condemned or forgave him! In fact, such ruckus as the “more popular than Jesus” comment caused was centered in the American south, not in Rome. The O.R. article is not about John — it’s about the 40th anniversary of the White Album. So put it on and turn it up!
He need to thank the Beatles profusely for ALL thier work. They promoted love, peace and everyday living. Growing up listening to them has colored my world to the good. That comment by John about being more popular than Jesus, he told maureen Cleave, \"you don\’t publish that, though, don\’t publish it.\" Little did he know she ran to publicize it!!!! he literally spent YEARS trying to clear up the comment! he said that to a friend. (some friend you turned out to be, Miss Cleave!) And to suggest Joihn deserved death because of the comment, is all the more ridiculous!!!! Anyone with half a brain can figure that out!!!
If John were alive he would have told the Vatican to piss off. He never asked for forgiveness, nor would he have accepted it. He spoke his mind at the time (he was having an affair with Ms. Cleave and assumed she would protect him from his loose lips) and was shocked by the overreaction, especially in the conservative US South. he was made to apologize by Brian Epstein & Macca, who worried that the \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’controversy\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’ (public burning of beatle records, calls for boycott, etc.) would hurt the band\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\’s future
I think John would have found it pretty stupid and hilarious. I did, because many have made such comments. Noel Gallagher from Oasis, once said, that Oasis were bigger than God! Nobody cares anymore. I’m a huge Beatles fan and i think that all this forgiving thing is stupid and hilarious, and I think many thinks the same.
I’m bigger than Jesus and God! Let’s see if somebody takes that serious… I don’t…
John Lennon wouldn’t have given a rat’s @#$# about their forgiveness. If anyone needs to ask for forgiveness is the vatican with all the allegations and indictments for child molestation.
I would like to tell you all why I believe the Vatican this year has finally forgiven John Lennon. It is because soon a scandal will emerge regarding John Lennon. Yes, John has a lovechild daughter who will be inheriting from the Beatle catalogue that Mr. Michael Jackson is holding. Yes, Lennon never got to see this daughter because she was conceived out of wedlock in 1963. She is now 44 years old. Believe me it is an amazing story. The Vatican must have heard about this through the grape vine. This daughter could inherit 600 million dollars along with copyrights. Since the mother of this daughter was married when she conceived the bably with Lennon the mother wanted to believe it was her husbands but Lennon believed it was his daughter. Remember depression in early 1970’s. The was why Yoko and him separated. 2009 is going to be shocking. Go into the Virgin Mega stores and see all the John Lennon products all of a sudden. They know this will drop soon and they want to make money. People will be sad and want to buy all things Beatles. You heard it here first. The Vatican is probably shocked and had to say he forgives John Lennon because he feels bad for this daughter never having seen her father. Yeh she will be rich but still it is very tragic and sad at the same time. North Korea even says they want Eric Clapton to perform. I think he even heard about it. Look at all the rock reunions all of a sudden. Many are putting at least a beatle song on their new albums. Look at all of these world tours all of a sudden. Let’s face it the Vatican had many years to forgive John Lennon but 2008 and 2009 is so important. Alot of rock stars are also singing about going home. That is because that 44 year old daughter is finally going home to the truth! I am in the music business so I know.
Why is this being referred to as a slip of the tongue? It was no slip! Lennon said it and he meant it and even said he meant it “as a fact” in the now famous interview where he talks about it.
John probably would have cared less, I think he would have had a good laugh though.