Harry Potter weaves his magic as Vatican lauds his battle against evil

Published on Tuesday 14 July 2009 22:03

IT IS a title JK Rowling thought she might never see: Harry Potter and the Curious Case of the Pope's Approval. After a decade of detecting the whiff of brimstone behind the bestselling books, the Vatican has delivered a surprising seal of approval.

In a review of the blockbuster film, the official Vatican newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano, said Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince made clear the difference between "good and evil". In the past, the adventures of the boy wizard had been criticised by senior figures in the Catholic Church concerned about its focus on witchcraft.

But under the headline "'Magic is no longer a game of surprise", reviewer Gaetano Vallini praised the film's special effects and the development of the lead characters, saying they were "far more credible" than in previous episodes.

The film, the sixth in the series based on the books of author JK Rowling, again stars Daniel Radcliffe as the young wizard and the usual cast of Emma Watson (Hermione Granger) and Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley).

Mr Vallini said the film had a "mixture of supernatural suspense and romance which has reached the right balance, making the roles more credible".

He added: "The characters have grown from adolescents into adults, and at the same time the tone of the story has grown, and as a result entertainment has benefited."

Mr Vallini said the line "between good and evil was clearly marked, and it makes clear that doing good is right and that in some cases this involves hard work and sacrifices".

He closed his review by saying that: "At the end of the film, what remains is not the scenes of magic, but these of the values such as friendship, altruism, loyalty and the giving of one's self".

The glowing praise is a complete turn-around from what L'Osservatore Romano wrote last year, when it said Harry Potter was the "wrong kind of hero". The previous article also said the Harry Potter films transmitted "a vision of the world full of deep mistakes and dangerous suggestions".

In 2003, before becoming Pope Benedict XVI, the then Cardinal Georg Ratzinger said the "subtle seductions" contained in the Potter series could "corrupt the Christian faith" in impressionable young children.

The Vatican's most recent praise follows in sharp contrast to the criticism of the Harry Potter series by a conservative Austrian priest at the centre of a church crisis earlier this year. The Rev Gerhard Maria Wagner had characterised Rowling's novels as Satanism.

Pope Benedict promoted the cleric to the post of auxiliary bishop in Linz in January. But amid an outcry among Austrian Catholics over his comments, Father Wagner eventually gave up the promotion.

John Allen, a senior columnist with the National Catholic Reporter, urged caution. He said there had been no change of Vatican policy or opinion on Rowling's novels, as no such "official" policy or opinion existed.

He said: "I'm willing to bet my pension plan that the Pope has never read a Harry Potter novel or seen a Harry Potter film."

MOVIE SALES SURPASS 1M MARK

SALES of advance tickets for Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince have surpassed 1million in box office takings. The strong sales come despite underwhelming reviews for the film, which is due to open in the UK today.

Odeon and UCI Cinemas Group have the film on 348 screens across the country and will be screening it in 3D in a number of locations.

The penultimate film of JK Rowling's seven-novel series has received praise for its special effects, but has been met with a mixed response from reviewers.

The final tome, Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows, has been divided into two epic films. The first part is due in November of 2010, with the franchise's conclusion set for release in July 2011.