A Vatican newspaper says they have forgiven the late British singer John Lennon, for once saying that the Beatles were more popular than Jesus. Of course, John Lennon was kidding, but at the time many bible thumpers took him seriously. It caused a major uproar in the media and churches from around the world encouraged kids to destroy their Beatles albums.

BBC Reports:

In an article praising The Beatles, L’Osservatore Romano said Lennon had just been showing off. Lennon told a British newspaper in 1966 - at the height of Beatlemania - that he did not know which would die out first, Christianity or rock and roll. At the time, the comparison sparked controversy in the US.

The semi-official Vatican newspaper marked the 40th anniversary of The Beatles’ “White Album” with an article praising Lennon and the Fab Four from Liverpool. The newspaper said The Beatles’s songs had shown an extraordinary capacity for survival and the White Album album remained a “magical musical anthology”.

John Lennon born on October 9, 1940, was a charismatic Libra, who represented peace and love in a war torn world. His son Sean Lennon, born on the same day as his father, was the light of his life. Lennon who touched millions of fans with his music, was voted by Rolling Stone, as one of “The Fifty Greatest Artists of All Time.”

On the night of 8 December 1980, Lennon was tragically murdered. A fan Mark David Chapman, shot Lennon in the back four times in front of his apartment the Dakota. Earlier that same night, Lennon had autographed a copy of Double Fantasy for Chapman.

Lennon’s beautiful spirit, humor, and amazing creativity is incredibly missed. On 9 October 2007 the Imagine Peace Tower in Viðey island, Iceland (off the coast of Reykjavík) was lit for the first time . The idea for the monument was originally conceived by Yoko Ono in 1965 and construction began in 2006. The tower is lit annually from 9 October, Lennon’s birthday, to 8 December, Lennon’s date of death. The words “Imagine Peace” are carved into the tower in 24 different languages.

Today, Yoko Ono a feminist and a supporter of human rights, continues to promote a message of love and hope.