Church leader calls for ban on Jerry Springer opera

A senior church figure in the UK has called for an “offensive” and “blasphemous” opera to be stopped, it emerged today.

The Archbishop of Wales, Dr Barry Morgan, has criticised Jerry Springer – The Opera, ahead of its appearance at the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff next month.

The production, which is currently on a 21-venue tour of the UK, provoked a record 63,000 complaints when it was aired on BBC2 last year.

Dr Morgan told BBC Radio Wales: “I’m deeply disappointed. On the one hand, I can see that we need freedom for the arts to express what they want to express.

“On the other hand, I think they’ve crossed a line here, because what they say about Jesus in this opera is likely to cause scandal and they’d never get away with saying the same things about the prophet Mohammed.”

He added: “What they say about Jesus here is blasphemous and gratuitously offensive and I think when an opera does that, then it’s time to call a halt.

“Why should Christianity endure this kind of offensive blasphemous treatment?”