When the Vatican’s Renato Cardinal Martino released “Guidelines for Pastoral Care of the Road,” or the “10 Commandments of Driving,” a number of news outlets took a light-hearted look at the Cardinal’s words. While playful, many of these stories managed to be respectful at the same time. For instance, on Tuesday night, CNN responded to the story with a segment that was humorous without causing any offense.
Not everyone is so well behaved, however. On NBC’s “Tonight Show” last night, Jay Leno (who frequently makes jokes casting all priests as sex abusers), suggested that the 11th commandment of driving should be “Thou shalt not use your car to transfer pedophile priests to another parish.” The crowd booed.
On Comedy Central’s “Daily Show” last night, host Jon Stewart passed the reins over to “senior Vatican correspondent” John Oliver. Oliver, standing in front of a Vatican backdrop, stated that as the Vatican suggested automobiles can be occasions for sin, people should not drive while “horny.” Oliver then unveiled a machine, in the form of a statue of a bishop, which he said was created in the Vatican’s labs. The statue had a breathalyzer-style tube extending from the groin area, described by Oliver as a “sinalyzer”. The “sinalyzer” could be used to reveal whether the person blowing into it is “horny.”
It appears that Jay Leno and the “Daily Show” will jump at any excuse to portray the Catholic clergy as a bunch of perverts and sexual predators. Not only is this shtick bigoted, it’s become worn-out and pedestrian.
