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Ireland’s state broadcaster RTÉ apologized after a protest over a television comedy sketch depicting God as a rapist.
A countdown show on New Years Eve included a mock news report about God as the latest prominent figure implicated in a sexual harassment scandal.
“The 5 billion-year-old was accused of imposing on a young migrant from the Middle East and allegedly getting her pregnant against her will, before being sentenced to two years in prison, with the last 24 months suspended,” said the announcer. “Following the news, film producer Harvey Weinstein requested a new trial in Ireland.”
The 23-second segment of Waterford Whispers News, a satirical news website, sparked more than 1,000 complaints to RTÉ and the conviction of Ireland’s Catholic Archbishop Primate, Eamon Martin.
“This scandalous clip should be immediately removed and reported by all people of good will,” he tweeted. Airing such a deeply offensive and blasphemous clip about God and Our Blessed Mother Mary during the Christmas season … is an insult to all Catholics and Christians.
1. I’m surprised that the producer / editor of ‘NYE Countdown Show’ @RTE @RTEOne He did not realize how deeply offensive a mocking ‘news report’ was that accused God of rape and denounced his imprisonment. This scandalous clip should be removed immediately and reported by all people of good will.
– Eamon Martin (@ArchbishopEamon) January 1, 2021
In a statement, RTÉ apologized and said it would respond to complaints in accordance with legal rules. He did not promise to remove the sketch from the RTÉ Player.
“RTÉ recognizes that matters that may offend naturally differ from person to person, within comedy and satire in particular. Having reviewed the comments and complaints received so far, RTÉ wishes to apologize to those who were offended by the segment ”.
The Atheist Ireland group defended the broadcaster’s right to broadcast material deemed offensive and cited a 2018 referendum that removed the ban on blasphemy from the constitution.
The last blasphemy trial in Ireland was in 1855 when a priest who accidentally burned a Bible was tried and later acquitted. In 2015, the police investigated comments made by Stephen Fry on television in which the comedian described God as “capricious”, “mean” and “an absolute maniac”. Gardaí dropped out of the investigation after deciding that an insufficient number of people had been outraged.
Ireland, once a deeply conservative society enslaved to the Catholic Church, has in recent years become secular and liberal with the legalization of gay marriage and abortion in popular votes, and the rise of a gay taoiseach.
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