Earlier this week, we reported the news that several Catholic priests in Poland had led a ceremony that ended in the burning of ‘evil’ items, which included J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books. The Polish evangelical group, called the SMS from Heaven Foundation, posted pictures on its Facebook page of the burning, which included copies of Harry Potter, an African mask, a Buddhist figure, and other items deemed ‘occult’. The burning caused quite a controversy and one of the priests has since apologised.
As The Guardian reports, Father Rafał Jarosiewicz described the event as “unfortunate,” and said that he did not intend the burning to condemn specific authors, religions or social groups. Jarosiewicz posted an apology on the group’s Facebook page, which read: “If anyone took my action this way, I would like to apologise,” he wrote, adding that he’s removed photos of the burning, “so that it does not generate more emotions. I’m very sorry once again.”
Jarosiewicz and the other priests had encouraged followers to bring items that disturbed them or seemed connected to the occult so the priests could burn them. However, their actions went viral and have been condemned by people across the globe. Jarosiewicz was fined by the city guards and an anti-smog group has also contacted prosecutors regarding the illegal burning of waste in an open fire.
This is not the first time the Harry Potter books have been damned by religious groups. Due to the magical nature of the books, the series has been accused of trying to promote witchcraft and the occult to children.
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