What Did the Vatican's Newspaper Think of Harry Potter?

The Vatican's quasi-official newspaper L'Osservatore Romano published an article in January of 2008 showing two points of view (both of them Catholic, of course) about Harry Potter. The article was titled (translated from Italian)"A Comparison of Opinions on the Most Famous Wizard in the World: The Double Face of Harry Potter" and made quite a splash in the media when it appeared. To read an English translation of the article, click here.

So after all that, what does L'Osservatore Romano think about the newest film? Although Pope Benedict XVI had once called Harry Potter spiritually dangerous, journalist Gaetano Vallini had many positive things to say about the film. He compared the magic in Harry Potter to the magic that is portrayed in Catholic-okay fairy tales and even said that the movie promoted good things like "friendship, altruism, loyalty and self-giving".

Guess Harry Potter is not the "wrong model for a hero" after all, huh? :)

Movies Are Life. ~ K