Vatican flays Halloween as anti-Christian

Roman Catholic Church condemns Halloween as anti-Christian, `occult`.

London: Alarmed by the rapid spread of Halloween traditions around the world, the Roman Catholic Church has condemned it as anti-Christian, saying it is based on a sinister and dangerous “undercurrent of occultism”. Halloween activities played out on October 31 include trick-or-treating, wearing costumes and attending costume parties, ghost tours, bonfires and visiting haunted attractions.

The Vatican asked parents to discourage their children from dressing up as ghosts and ghouls on Saturday, describing Halloween a pagan celebration of “terror, fear and death”, the Telegraph online reported. The church, in its official newspaper L’Osservatore Romano said Halloween “is anti-Christian”. “Halloween has an undercurrent of occultism and is anti-Christian,” Joan Maria Canals, a liturgical expert, said in the newspaper. Bureau Report