Remember a couple of weeks ago when we told you about how some people tried to convince Pope Clement VIII to ban coffee? What if we told you that there was a much more recent example of this phenomenon? An example from the pontificate of Pope Saint John Paul II. An example involving...Pokemon!
That's right, folks. Back in the year 2000, there was a major "Satanic panic" regarding the wild popularity of Pokemon, especially with the impending release of Pokemon: The First Movie. As kids bought millions upon millions of packs of cards and copies of video games, parents began to view the game as a sinful temptation.
Many began to complain that children were breaking piggy banks to buy merchandise and picking schoolyard fights with each other over cards. The cries became so great, in fact, that people began asking Pope John Paul II to denounce Pokemon as evil and demonic.
Thankfully, the man born Karol Wojtyla was wise and prudent. He not only declined to denounce the games, he even went so far as to extoll their virtues! The Vatican released statements saying that Pokemon is "full of inventive imagination," has no "harmful moral side effects," and is based on "the ties of intense friendship."
Oftentimes, these fears and crazes come from a lack of knowledge about a subject or a couple of pieces of sensationalized "journalism." Don't fall into the devil's trap! Let's all endeavor to take a close look at these types of subjects before forming a fiery, ironclad opinion. It's what Pope Saint John Paul II did, and he's a pretty good role model!