Last but not least: Silvio and Sepp can't take a joke
Italian satirist Sabina Guzzanti is facing trial for a verbal attack on the pope. The 45-year-old comedian rose to stardom through her satirical sketches of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.
Italian satirist Sabina Guzzanti is to stand trial for a verbal attack on the Pope. The Roman public prosecutor's office has requested the opening of a trial against the well-known cabaret artist, who said at a demonstration against the Berlusconi government at the beginning of July that Mr. Joseph Alois Ratzinger, alias Pope Benedict XVI, would be tortured by "devils and faggots" in hell in 20 years' time.
The cabaret artist must answer for defamation of a head of state, as the Pope could be equated with a head of state, according to the Roman public prosecutor's office. Guzzanti is therefore facing a prison sentence of up to five years.
Following the demonstration in Rome, the diocese of Rome issued a short statement expressing "deep regret for the insulting words" against Benedict XVI. The Catholic daily Avvenire had spoken of a "shabby performance" in an editorial.
The 45-year-old Guzzanti has become a star thanks to her satirizations of head of government Silvio Berlusconi. In her shows, the quick-change artist usually slips into the role of Berlusconi, occasionally also impersonating his rival. Let's put it this way: her path to Italian television is probably now blocked.
The cabaret artist must answer for defamation of a head of state, as the Pope could be equated with a head of state, according to the Roman public prosecutor's office. Guzzanti is therefore facing a prison sentence of up to five years.
Following the demonstration in Rome, the diocese of Rome issued a short statement expressing "deep regret for the insulting words" against Benedict XVI. The Catholic daily Avvenire had spoken of a "shabby performance" in an editorial.
The 45-year-old Guzzanti has become a star thanks to her satirizations of head of government Silvio Berlusconi. In her shows, the quick-change artist usually slips into the role of Berlusconi, occasionally also impersonating his rival. Let's put it this way: her path to Italian television is probably now blocked.
