John Oliver, host of HBO’s “Last Week Tonight,” took a shot this weekend at the Vatican for calling Ireland’s historic vote to legalize same-sex marriage a “defeat for humanity.”
Maybe if Pope Francis had been watching TV the past 25 years, Oliver said, the Vatican’s position would be different. After all, he said, “TV shows have done a lot to acclimate people to same-sex relationships.” He pointed to shows like “Will and Grace,” “Ellen” and … “Spongebob Squarepants.”
He also suggested the pope would like “Breaking Bad” – “a show you could really relate to.”
And he chastised the Church:
“Remember, you’re an organization whose victories for humanity include the Crusades, forced adoptions, and running a wildly successful international pedophile exchange program, so let’s save the ‘defeat for humanity’ accusation for things that deserve it.”
He pointed to the Perfect Bacon Bowl as an example of a true defeat for humanity, and he may have a point there.
Catholic League President Bill Donohue condemned the jokes Monday in a news release, and one conservative website called them “evidence that the last acceptable prejudice is bigotry against Christianity, especially anti-Catholicism.”
But Oliver also had a point in saying Pope Francis’ instinct not to watch his show was a good one. He joked that the opening to “Last Week Tonight” included a “UP” warning – “unsuitable for popes.”
And while that’s not entirely true, the show opening does include an image of a smiling, waving Pope Francis under the words “pontifex’est cum maxime’est.” (Google Translate notably translates the Latin “pontifex cum maxime” as “especially when high.”)
