Vatican hits out at criticism of pope
May 03 2007

Vatican City - The Vatican has reacted with outrage to criticism of Pope Benedict XVI's stance on euthanasia during a traditional May Day rock concert in Rome that was carried live on Italian television.

"Attacking the Church is terrorism. Fuelling blind and irrational fury against he who always speaks in the name of love is terrorism," the Vatican mouthpiece L'Osservatore Romano said in its edition to appear on Thursday.

"It is vile and terrorist to throw stones at the pope, this time directly, while feeling protected by shouts of approval from an easily excitable crowd," the daily said.

The remarks came after singer Andrea Rivera, a presenter at the concert, spoke out strongly against a decision by the Italian Catholic Church to deny a religious funeral to Piergiorgio Welby, a muscular dystrophy sufferer who ended his life in December by having a doctor remove him from his artificial respirator. the rest

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