Abstract

Lenny From Heaven

This section presents a fictitious conversation between God, Pope John Paul II, the pope's secretary, a fictitious lawyer named Finkelstein, and comedian Lenny Bruce, who was recently posthumously pardoned by New York Gov. George E. Pataki, 39 years after being convicted of obscenity for using obscenities in a Greenwich Village nightclub act. Lenny Bruce: Man, you know the pardon that took the longest? That was the Catholic Church springing the Jews for killing Christ. Yeah, the Pope finally admitted it was a bad rap and apologized. The Inquisition? Big mistake. "Sorry, guys, but conditions were different in the 1400s. The Jews didn't have a lot of smart lawyers to get them off like today." Finkelstein: I am handling the case of Original Tribes of Israel, LP, v. Church of Simon Called Peter, Inc. My clients believe they have been deeply hurt, injured, libeled and otherwise persecuted as a result of anti-Semitic doctrines propagated with malice and reckless disregard of the truth by defendants and specifically that said defendants accused plaintiffs of crucifying the said Messiah a k a Jesus Christ a k a Our Lord and Savior, on or about Easter Sunday 1 Anno Domini... Pope: Ooh, that's pretty rich. Can't we settle out of court? How about if I pardon you all. I'll even go to Israel and do it personally. I'll say, Boy, when we make a mistake it's a doozy.