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A SLOVAK STREET performer dressed in white papal vestments has been detained and fined by the police in Rome for bearing too close a resemblance to the late John Paul II, the police said today.
“The problem was that he looked a lot like Karol Wojtyla. He was detained for usurpation of title which is a misdemeanour,” a police spokeswoman told AFP.
“The cassock he was wearing has been confiscated,” she added.
The man has been released and will have to pay between €154 and €929 euros, depending on a decision by a judge, the spokeswoman said.
Another officer at the station where the 55-year-old man was taken quipped:
If he had been dressed like Tutankhamun nothing would have happened.
The performer has been working the main avenue leading up to the Colosseum in his white skullcap for weeks — alongside Roman centurion imitators and other performers — but police said they acted following an anonymous complaint.
A vendor selling miniature Colosseum souvenirs on a spot overlooking the Roman Forum said he saw the man being detained on Thursday.
“He was right here, near me. He was taken away by two officers in civilian clothes who were pretending to be tourists,” he said.
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Pics or it didn’t happen….
You can charge £64 for four ice creams and its not a crime… Dress up as a dead man n boom it’s off to the slammer with ye
Paul let it rest. Buy a cornetto the next time you’re there :-)
No way man…
Bringing al supplies with me from Aldis, ha ha
Why are there so many Chairman Mao looky likeys?
That’s his crier taken off!
“Pics or it didn’t happen”
If the RCC applied the same standards there’d be no saints…
But some paedophiles have masqueraded as priests on church soil.clean up should be quick so, but what do I know been an atheist….
Meanwhile, Berlusconi still holds public office. Statutory rape and tax evasion is one thing, but dressing up as a dead pope, well…
Yea but Vatican City separate state to Rome / Italy
Arrested in Rome !
RELIGION IS LIKE A PENIS
It’s ok to have one
It’s ok to be proud of it
HOWEVER
Do not pull it out in public
Do not push it on children
Do not write laws with it
So it’s a phallicy?
And dont try to shove it down my throat
Hope the vatican police dont turn up at the ted fest
Nice little country is the Vatican – high crime rate though
A lad dropped his pants and hung a moon ion grafton st last night and was arrested for impersonating Phil Hogan
Kent Brockman: Police say the fake Pope can be easily recognized by his high-top sneakers and incredibly foul mouth.
I saw a fella in Ranelagh who looks just like Brent Pope, I think he should be hung….like a horse!
Nice one Brent.
Rumours circulating tonight that a man called Kenny has been arrested in Kildare Street for impersonating a leader of a country.
Lol that’s a brill one :-)
Imagine, some bum reported him. God botherers suck.
Kick em up the arse
Perhaps it is the real J.P coming back for a gawk at whats going down in the Vat!
2 is company, 3 is a crowd so he wandered out onto a street and boom he’s in the slammer.
He forgot his pjs.
Ah would ya f@## off !!!!
I wonder what his fine would have been, if he attempted to look like Jesus. Although, that might have been hard to prove, now that I think about it.
Police said it would have been ok if he looked like Tutenkamun ~ I suppose because he is dead, and a dead Pharaoh can’t sue…
And John Paul is not dead, is that what you’re saying?
John Paul isn’t dead. He’s just taking a break and having a kitkat
Isn’t that the apparent logic of the police comment?
There’s too much of this sort of thing going on – a line has to be drawn somewhere. Make an example of him!
Totally agree Derek
. Hang the bastard. Then we could do Brady and the rest of them
The church of Rome use freedom of speech to encourage discrimination and hatred towards LGBT but can’t take a little satire, hypocrites, as usual.
Why does it say papa Eoin pol? I thought Sean was the Irish for john? Have they been lying to me all my life?
Is it a crime if you are caught for making a mock or a joke out of the big names ?? There are many Rough Collie doggy breeds out there who look like Lassie !
How silly poor man
Well the pope clams to be “Gods” voice here on earth…. Come on who’s the con man here.!!!!
Its a pity its not father Ted least we’d have a laugh then
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