South Park's 'Mary' episode revolting, says PM

Helen Clark

Helen Clark says that as a woman she is offended by the image of a Madonna figure spurting blood at the Pope, due to screen in an episode of the South Park cartoon series in May.

"I personally find it quite revolting," said the Prime Minister.

She said the issue would add poignancy to a speech she will give next month at an "interfaith dialogue" conference in the Philippines.

The "Bloody Mary" episode is scheduled to appear on C4, a sister-channel of TV3 and owned by CanWest.

It depicts a statue of Mary bleeding, which is taken to be a miracle until the Pope declares it is simply menstruation blood, at which point the statue starts spurting blood.

The episode has prompted New Zealand's Catholic bishops, in a letter to parishioners, to boycott C4 and also TV3's news and the products advertised on it.

It has also prompted the New Zealand arm of Family Life International, an anti-abortion organisation, to set up a website to try to stop the programme being screened.

The uproar follows weeks of violent global protest by Muslims over the publication of cartoons featuring Muhammad, the Prophet of Islam.

Helen Clark, who criticised the New Zealand newspapers that published the cartoons, said yesterday that likewise, the "Bloody Virgin" episode was an issue of taste and judgment.

"Those who publish in these circumstances of course have their right to free speech in New Zealand, but that doesn't take away from others the right to say what they think about it.

"From what I've heard of it, I'd consider it quite offensive personally but, if the network proceeds, they are going to have to deal with the public debate around it.

"As a woman I find it offensive."

She said that at the interfaith dialogue conference in Cebu, she would be "talking about people talking to each other and not past each other and being tolerant and respectful of other people's beliefs".

Helen Clark describes herself as agnostic.

"I don't expect everybody to share my beliefs and I don't expect others to expect me to share theirs.

"But I think the critical thing is we show respect for other people's beliefs."

The interfaith dialogue conference will be the second such meeting. The first was held in Indonesia in 2004 after the terrorist bombings in Bali and Jakarta.

The conference will be co-sponsored by the Philippines, which is predominantly Catholic, Indonesia, predominantly Muslim, and Australia and New Zealand.