Church may take action over 'Popetown'

The Catholic Church may take action against TV company Canwest if the broadcaster does not stop screening "Popetown".

Catholics warned against its contents when it was launched on C4 about a month ago. The church finds the programme offensive to the Papacy.

Communications director Lyndsay Freer says the church initially wrote the programme off as a silly non-event, but says subsequent episodes have degenerated and are now intolerable.

She says characters such as a cleric with strange attraction to exotic animals coupled with suggestions the church is only concerned with getting rich are highly misrepresentative and offensive.

Ms Freer says church authorities have written to Canwest in a bid to have the show pulled and if that does not happen, the Church will consider lodging a complaint with the Broadcasting Standards Authority.

- NEWSTALK ZB