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Last update - 19:25 18/02/2009
Will Virgin Mary TV spoof jeopardize Pope visit to Israel?
By Jack Khoury, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: Israel News, Pope Benedict 

Leading Christian and Muslim clergymen are calling on Pope Benedict XVI to postpone his planned visit to Israel, which is scheduled for May, in protest of a comedy skit seen on the late-night variety television show hosted by comedian Lior Shlein.

In a press conference held on Wednesday in Nazareth, religious leaders denounced Shlein for a spoof entitled "Like a virgin" which depicts two characters who play Jesus and the Virgin Mary.

In the skit, Mary is heard saying she had slept with many men and that she was not a virgin at all. The provocative segment prompted Christian lawyers to consider filing legal motions against Shlein and his television home, Channel 10.
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In response, Shlein sent a letter to one of the attorneys pledging to apologize on the air for the skit.

Christian leaders said Shlein's jokes are "hurtful and humiliating to Christianity." Salim Kubti, an attorney and the chairman of an umbrella organization representing Christian courts, said he and a number of other lawyers are considering a lawsuit against Channel 10.

"It's clear that Shlein is a failure and as a result is looking for any way to improve his ratings, and he is jumping on a sensitive issue," Kubti said. "These statements go beyond satire and dark humor. These are serious statements that insult the sensitivities of every Christian and anyone who possesses values and mutual respect for other religions.
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  1.   Cancel such a trip... 18:47  |  EVH 18/02/09
  2.   Thin Skin 18:54  |  Skeptic 18/02/09
  3.   The True face of Judaism`s hate of Christ 18:55  |  American Christian 18/02/09
  4.   No First Amendment Clergy... 19:00  |  Peter Kussell 18/02/09
  5.   Anti-Catholic 19:01  |  Ray 18/02/09
  6.   Muslim clergy offended by Mary skit? 19:02  |  Rory 18/02/09
  7.   According to the Gospel Mary was not a `Virgin` all her life 19:03  |  UlfT 18/02/09
  8.   A little wager.... 19:03  |  arik 18/02/09
  9.   What a dilema! 19:06  |  Hannibal 18/02/09
  10.   Not the first to say this 19:08  |  Jason 18/02/09
  11.   What a dilema! 19:12  |  Hannibal 18/02/09
  12.   Rise above it 19:15  |  W. Rose 18/02/09
  13.   Agreed, Cancel The Trip 19:18  |  Ronald 18/02/09
  14.   We Jews would be up in arms... 19:19  |  Nephtaly 18/02/09
  15.   re: american christian 19:20  |  zvi 18/02/09
  16.   Why isn`t this insult denounced by Israeli leaders? 19:22  |  Lou Medel 18/02/09
  17.   You don`t have to be Jewish... 19:24  |  Motic 18/02/09
  18.   Not a matter of state 19:28  |  Yossi 18/02/09
  19.   It may not spoof Pope,but it will most likely hurt Israel`s image 19:31  |  glenna 18/02/09
  20.   #3 American Christian 19:32  |  Joe 18/02/09
  21.   I am offended by people who find religious jokes offensive 19:35  |  anti-racist 18/02/09
  22.   Pope supports biships denying holocaust , and this bothers him? 19:37  |  kobi 18/02/09
  23.   #6 Rory 19:40  |  Rizwan 18/02/09
  24.   #6 Rory 19:45  |  Rizwan 18/02/09
  25.   Ray 19:45  |  Brad 18/02/09
  26.   Idiot Schlein and his ilk not respecting others... 19:46  |  bat yam 18/02/09
  27.   Muslim view of Jesus! 19:46  |  Rizwan 18/02/09
  28.   give be a break 19:49  |  rad 18/02/09
  29.   Hannibal 19:51  |  Brad 18/02/09
  30.   Rizwan 19:56  |  Brad 18/02/09
  31.   so its ok... 20:18  |  ben 18/02/09
  32.   Wow. 20:31  |  Jordan 18/02/09
  33.   As a Christian I am for free speech (if I like it or not) 21:35  |  Markus Grafenburg 18/02/09
  34.   A More Serious Insult 21:41  |  Frankie Littlehammer 18/02/09
  35.   Brad: The Bible itself says Jesus was a Prophet 21:44  |  convert 18/02/09
  36.   Comedy in Israel 21:46  |  Sergio 18/02/09
  37.   sure the virgin mary was a virgin 22:45  |  q 18/02/09
  38.   I used to love Jesus and Mary but now I don;t care 22:54  |  Yaakov Sullivan 18/02/09
  39.   bad taste--but... 01:17  |  bob 19/02/09
  40.   American Chritian- Why are you Still in the US? 01:20  |  Harold 19/02/09
  41.   glenna is a moron 02:57  |  pam fischer 19/02/09
  42.   Nothing positive comes out of these jokes 05:09  |  judith 19/02/09
  43.   #3 - American Christian 05:24  |  MichaelF 19/02/09
  44.   #41 pam fischer 05:28  |  Rizwan 19/02/09
  45.   Religion ha ha ha ha ha 07:26  |  SJ 19/02/09
  46.   Joke with your own religion 11:57  |  Ralph is back 19/02/09
  47.   Virgin Mary 12:43  |  Mike 19/02/09
  48.   i guess it`s time for cristians to riot? 17:24  |  a christian 19/02/09
  49.   Markus #33 17:43  |  john jones 19/02/09
  50.   Virgin Mary. 18:49  |  Elisheva 19/02/09
  51.   I live in Catholic Spain. 19:18  |  Miguel Almela Perez 19/02/09
  52.   Sullivan used to be everything-LOL 21:37  |  Christopher 19/02/09
  53.   Freedom of Speech 20:08  |  Norwegian 20/02/09
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