Harry Potter Books Burned by Priests, Declared Evil

A group of Catholic priests in Poland organized a massive book-burning over the weekend, including many copies of the beloved Harry Potter novels.

Volumes of the best-selling Harry Potter series joined other books, tribal masks and small objects in a fire in Koszalin, Poland, on Sunday. The religious organization known as SMS z Nieba, or SMS from Heaven, posted photos on Facebook showing the symbolic blaze. According to a report by the Associated Press, parishioners were encouraged to bring their “evil objects” to the purge.

During the burning, the group reportedly quoted bible passages condemning magic and idol worship to justify their actions. This included a passage from the Book of Acts.

“Many of those who had practiced magic collected their books and burned them in front of everyone,” it read. “So they calculated their value and found it to be fifty thousand pieces of silver.”

Another prominent quote came from Deuteronomy.

“Burn the images of their gods. Don’t desire the silver or the gold that is on them and take it for yourself, or you will be trapped by it. That is detestable to the Lord your God,” it said.

When contacted by the Associated Press, a spokesman for the diocese of Koszalin condemned the fire, saying he “did not like this form of priestly activity, which is wrong.”

Of course, this is not the first time the Harry Potter series has come under fire — literally — from religious groups. The series’ system of Latin-based magic has often been seen as a threat by Christian groups around the world, who have organized mass burnings.

Meanwhile, the series has face further criticism more recently despite the last book having come out in 2007. In part, this has to do with author J.K. Rowling’s use of social media. Rowling has been an outspoken opponent of President Donald Trump and other far-right political sentiments around the world.

In addition to alienating conservative fans, Rowling has recently upset some more liberal readers online as well. Rowling has often been criticized for stating the diversity of certain characters on social media without ever stating it explicitly in her books.

For example, Rowling let fans know that Dumbledore was gay after the last book had been published. She then revealed that he had had a whirlwind romance with Grindelwald in his youth, so fans were reasonably excited to see this exposition in the new prequel movies.

However, last year’s The Crimes of Grindelwald did not explore that relationship. In spite of that omission, Rowling still spoke about their “incredibly intense” relationship in DVD extras, specifying that it had a “sexual dimension.”

In spite of outcry coming from every side, Rowling’s creations show no sign of slowing down. Warner Bros. has three more movies planned in the Fantastic Beasts franchise, all with scripts written by Rowling herself.