Not surprisingly viewer reaction to The Trouble with the Pope has been both mixed and highly impassioned.
Many people applauded presenter Peter Tatchell for highlighting some of the Vatican's most "harmful and reactionary policies". MRS J BERTENSHAW described the programme as "truly enlightening", LORENZA praised its "rationality, good sense and compassion", while GARETH LEE thanked Peter and Channel 4 for "a clear and balanced report".
Other viewers were less impressed, and criticised the programme for being anti-Catholic, biased and offensive.
As always, the C4.com team has been closely monitoring all viewer feedback - on this page you'll find responses from both Peter Tatchell and commissioning editor Ralph Lee to some of the more critical comments the programme received.
Comment: The programme was anti-Catholic
CAM
I'm not Catholic and I am by no means a supporter of Catholicism, I believe they have lot to answer for. But this programme was completely biased and anti Catholic. Why can't Channel 4 make a non-biased programme with non-biased presenters who are always anti whatever it is they are talking about.
RICHARD
Would channel 4 have broadcasted such a biased and offensive programme of this kind about Islam??
Response:
Peter Tatchell
This was not an anti-Catholic programme. Most of the interviewees were Catholic. It was a critique of the Pope, not Catholic people in general. I support Catholics who want a more inclusive, accountable church. The people are the church, not the Pope.
Many Catholics share at least some of my criticisms of Benedict XVI. Most or many British Catholics disagree with the Pope on contraception, abortion, fertility treatment, women priests, gay equality, embryonic stem cell research and condom use to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS. They are also highly critical of Benedict XVI's role in the cover-up of child sex abuse and his readmission to the church of the holocaust-denying bishop, Richard Williamson. I was merely reflecting those concerns.
Ralph Lee
At a time when the Pope is making an official state visit to Britain with all the attendant coverage and opportunities to speak to the country and to the world, we felt that Channel 4 was an appropriate place to provide a platform for critical opinion. This is very different from being biased or anti Catholic.
In the past, Channel 4 has broadcast programmes concerning all the major world religions, offering opportunities for both critical and positive points of view.
Comment: The programme was not balanced and based only on opinion
PAUL WATTERS
I object in the strongest terms to the final summation of this programme. Mr. Tatchell has no right whatever to state, without any alternative view, on national television that the Pope should not be welcomed to Britain. That is a matter of personal opinion and Channel 4 has to explain why the personal opinion of one man has been lent such prominence in this way.
MICHAEL MCCARRY
I am normally a big fan of channel 4 documentaries but I am very disappointed with this extremely biased and offensive swipe from an obviously bitter man. One sided opinionated attack that would create riots on the streets if aimed at Islam for example. Channel 4 should be ashamed of themselves.
MICHAEL POVEY
In the pursuit of a balanced debate on Channel 4 I look forward to the Catholic Church being given the right to reply.
Response:
Ralph Lee
The programme was framed clearly as a critique of Benedict XVI from a highly opinionated author. The Pope's visit gives the biggest possible platform for Catholic perspective: a single hour of Channel 4 for a critic is in itself a form of balance and very much in keeping with Channel 4's remit to give expression to alternative views and opinions.
In spite of this, we made every effort to have a response to all substantive criticisms in the programme as Peter explains.
Peter Tatchell
In the film, I wanted to give Catholic leaders an opportunity to put their side of the story. We offered them a platform. When we went to Rome, the production company, Juniper TV, requested an interview with Pope Benedict or a senior Cardinal. The Vatican turned us down. Our bid to interview Archbishop Vincent Nichols in London was also snubbed, with the rebuke: "We do not wish to cooperate with a programme presented by Peter Tatchell." No Catholic leader in Britain or Rome was willing to come on the programme. That's not our fault. It's an own goal by the Pope's supporters.
Comment: More could have been said about stem cell research
TERESA
The Vatican strongly supports stem cell research to help people; success has been found with adult stem cells and the vatican is highly in support of this - something mr thatchell chose not to report.
LUKE HAWARD
The final section dealing with stem cell research fails to actually construct a moral argument, which is what most irked me about it... There may be plenty of good moral arguments in favour but to present opinion as if it were a moral argument showed such a profound lack of insight on the subject that it undermined the whole documentary in my opinion, a great shame as it was a badly needed and important subject to air in my opinion.
Response:
Ralph Lee
This is an incredibly complex moral issue and could have occupied a whole programme. But the segment we included did fairly represent the fundamental conflict between the Vatican perspective and the position of enlightened scientists represented here by Colin Blakemore.
Comment: The programme tackled important issues, but could have gone further. Will there be more?
RUSS
I found this to be a very eloquent and impassioned polemic. Tatchell draws attention to a number of the Catholic church's most harmful and reactionary policies. But why no mention of the Church's policy on euthanasia? Something for Part 2 I hope!
:S
I strongly agree with all of the points Peter Tatchell has raised and i am looking forward to the next instalment.
Response:
Peter Tatchell
Sadly, what you saw was only a tiny fraction of the footage shot. More than 30 hours of high quality film ended up being discarded, including most of a lengthy and impressive interview with Papal critic, the Catholic theologian Has Kung. Given that we had only 48 minutes of broadcast time, we were not able to cover the Pope's opposition to women's priests, fertility treatment and abortion. Or his plan to make a saint of the war-time Pope, Pius XII, who failed to speak out against the Holocaust. I was very disappointed that we were not able to include these other important moral and social issues.
