'Show will go on' at University of Minnesota Despite Protest

Another moment/opportunity to receive grace in Lent....pray! Pray for all involved!

The Pope † The Witch

The Catholic Spirit: ‘Pope and Witch’ draws Catholic protests
Catholic reaction

University of Minnesota theater director Robert Rosen said he chose to stage “The Pope and the Witch” for its political message and physical style. Rosen, who is not Catholic, said he is not surprised by the strong reaction; however, he does not see the play as an attack on the Catholic faith.

“Some people will disagree with the message and still others with the means with which the message is conveyed,” Rosen wrote in a statement on the university’s Web site. “Students of theater must learn to use their art form to express their views of the world in which they live.”

Rosen, a visiting assistant professor at the University of Minnesota, said he has received about 2,000 letters, including some threats that have raised security concerns, from people who object to the play.

Many of the play’s critics, Rosen believes, have not read the script, which, he stresses, is a “fantasy.”

Rosen said he changed parts of the play to make it more contemporary and to remove any inferences to the late Pope John Paul II. However, Rosen views the controversy as positive.

“It’s a great thing to question authority,” Rosen said. “It’s a great thing to question ourselves. If we ever stop doing that, I think we’ll be in trouble.”