Twilight Series is a 'Moral Vacuum,' Says Vatican Official
The latest installment in the vampire movie series "Twilight" is a "deviant moral vacuum," according to the Vatican.
In "New Moon," British actor Robert Pattinson returns as the blood-sucking vampire Edward Cullence, whose personal relationship with human teenager Bella Swan has captivated young adults around the world.
As of this month, the novel series has sold over 85 million copies worldwide. The latest movie adaptation, meanwhile, has already broken box office records as the highest single-day earner after pulling in $62.2 million on its opening day.
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Amid the series' immense popularity and commercial success, Monsignor Franco Perazzelo of the Vatican's Pontifical Council for Culture said Friday that the theme of vampires in "Twilight" "combines a mixture of excesses that, as ever, is aimed at young people and gives a heavy esoteric element."
"This film is nothing more than a moral vacuum with a deviant message and, as such, is something that should be of concern," he said.
Last month, the Vatican warned parents that Halloween had an "undercurrent of occultism" and was "absolutely anti-Christian."
The Vatican advised parents instead to "direct the meaning of the feast towards wholesomeness and beauty rather than terror, fear and death."
