Religious zealots burn books that 'glorify magic'

Catholic priests in the Polish city of Gdansk have burned objects they say are sacrilegious, including paperbacks from the magical Harry Potter series and volumes from the vampire-themed Twilight series.

Photographs of the book-burning appeared on the Facebook page of an evangelical group calling itself the SMS from Heaven Foundation.

The BBC said the photos appear to show a priest standing at a fire pit to officiate over the torching of the items, which included an elephant statuette,a tribal-type mask, and even a Hello Kitty umbrella.

The corporation said the SMS from Heaven Foundation is known for sending Christian text messages via SMS. The group's Facebook page has 22,000 followers.

The Facebook post about the pyre includes quotes from the Bible condemning magic and idolatry and concludes with a declaration in Polish that translates to "We obey the word".

One Bible passage quoted by the group on its Facebook page says: "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."

Several people have left critical messages on the group's Facebook page, including one person who quoted German poet Heinrich Heine, who wrote in 1823: "Where books are burned, in the end, people will also be burned."

Another person referenced a report released by the Catholic church last month that admits around 400 Polish priests sexually abused children between 1990 and 2018, saying: "I have not met anyone yet who would rape, murder and steal in the name of Harry Potter. In the name of the Bible, yes. Bad news, gentlemen!"

The Guardian newspaper noted that three priests took part in the book-burning, which the Mail Online said took place on Sunday outside the church of Father Jan Kucharski, who is listed as an exorcist on the Gdansk diocese's official website. The paper said he had claimed the burned items were "linked to the occult and magic".

The Harry Potter series of books, which began in 1997, are penned by British writer JK Rowling and are among the most popular works of fiction ever to have been published. So far, the series has generated the sale of more than 500 million copies globally.

But the books, which tell the tale of a young wizard who uses magic to battle against evil, have been criticized by some Christians who say they glorify witchcraft.

And in 2016, several Russian government agencies added to the criticism of the books when they promoted the cartoon Kids Againstthe Sorcerers, which portrays a fictional Western scheme supported by Nato and Harry Potter that is aimed at corrupting Russian schoolchildren.