Vatican City, Apr 14, 2010 / 17:22 pm
On Wednesday, L’Osservatore Romano (LOR) followed up on an article from last Saturday’s edition which paid homage to the legacy of the Beatles. After reactions from international media and Ringo Starr cast the previous article as an attempt to grant "forgiveness" to the artists, the Vatican paper stated on Wednesday that there was "no need" for absolution.
The Saturday article was spun by the international media as an effort by the Vatican to “absolve” the Beatles for John Lennon’s words: “We’re more popular than Jesus.”
The story on the Beatles, by Giuseppe Fiorentino and Gaetano Vallini, begins, "It's true they took stupefying substances; overwhelmed by success they lived dissolute and uninhibited years; in an excess of boastfulness they even said they were more famous than Jesus; they had fun launching mysterious messages, even Satanic, according to improbable declarations ... sure they weren't the best example for young people at the time, but neither (were they) the worst."
Forty years after their break-up the Beatles' "beautiful melodies remain as precious jewels that have changed light music forever” and continue to raise emotions, the article goes on.