Lebanon bans The Nun for offending Christianity

BEIRUT: Lebanon has banned Hollywood's latest thriller 'The Nun' for "disparaging the Christian faith."

The film is thought to have failed the government's normal screening procedures, consisting of a censorship commitee under the patronage of the General Security. 

"The film is offensive to Christianity and to the Chruch as a place of worship while also distorting the image of nuns," a source who spoke to a French daily on condition of anonymity said. 

The source denied that religious pressure influenced the decision, yet Wadad Jarbou, an activist at the Center for the Defense of Media and Cultural Freedoms (SKIES); argued "that religious figures undoubtedly influence such decisions."

The Hollywood supernatural thriller, which centers on a young novice about to take her final vows and a priest sent by the Vatican to investigate the death of a young nun in Romania, was set for release on September 6.

Lebanese have been accustomed to authorities having a say in what movies they deem are appropriate for the public.

Last year, authorities applied a short-lived ban on 'The Post' due to its director, Steven Speilberg.

Spielberg, who hails from a Jewish family, was blacklisted by the Arab League's Central Boycott Office after making a $1 million donation to Israel during the 2006 conflict with Lebanon.

After a public outcry, Lebanon's Interior Ministry overturned the directive after the country's prime minister intervened to allow the screening of the movie in Lebanese theaters.