Catholic & Jewish Groups Condemn Susan Sarandon for Calling the Pope a Nazi

Catholic and Jewish groups are condemning actress Susan Sarandon for referring to Pope Benedict XVI as a Nazi. As the Blaze reported on Monday, Sarandon made the remark during an interview at the Hamptons International Film Festival on Long Island this past Saturday.

The head of the Catholic League says her comment was "obscene" and the Anti-Defamation League released a statement calling on the actress to apologize to the Catholic community for the "deeply offensive" remark. So far, this hasn't happened. In a statement, Abraham H. Foxman, ADL's National Director, said:

We hope that Susan Sarandon will have the good sense to apologize to the Catholic community and all those she may have offended with this disturbing, deeply offensive and completely uncalled for attack on the good name of Pope Benedict XVI.

Ms. Sarandon may have her differences with the Catholic Church, but that is no excuse for throwing around Nazi analogies. Such words are hateful, vindictive and only serve to diminish the true history and meaning of the Holocaust.

Sarandon, who won an Academy Award for her role in the 1995 anti-death penalty film, "Dead Man Walking," has a history of championing left-wing causes.

As first reported by Newsday, Sarandon said she gave a copy of the book on which the film is based to the German-born pope, referring to him as a Nazi. Here’s what Newsday's Rafer Guzman, who first wrote about the exchange, described her comments:

She was discussing her 1995 film “Dead Man Walking,” based on the anti-death-penalty book by Sister Helen Prejean, a copy of which she sent to the pope.

“The last one,” she said, “not this Nazi one we have now.” Balabangently tut-tutted, but Sarandon only repeated her remark.

A telephone call to Sarandon's representative asking for comment was not immediately returned.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.