Is the Hulk Catholic? Vatican newspaper devotes page to the possible religious views of comic book heroes



It's often said that God has a sense of humour.



While that may be difficult to confirm, it can certainly be said of the Vatican's daily newspaper L'Osservatore Romano.



In its latest foray into popular culture, the paper ran an article investigating 'the religiousness of superheroes' - including comic book favourites the Hulk, Batman and Superman.



Closet Catholics? Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano ran a piece asking if Superman (left) and the Hulk are religious superheroes



The story, headlined 'Was the Hulk really a Catholic?', is illustrated with a scene from a Batman comic which shows the caped crusader's alter ego Bruce Wayne praying by his bed as a boy, and another of the Hulk holding rosary beads.



The tongue-in-cheek piece was published as the latest film in the Superman franchise, Man of Steel, scooped over $250 million (£170 million) at the US box office.



Claiming there was ample evidence to suggest the Hulk was a Catholic, senior journalist Gaetano Vallini wrote:



'Is it enough for a person to have a rosary in his hand to be defined a Catholic?



'Bruce Banner, the incredible green man, in fact married his beloved Betty Ross in a church and a Catholic priest presided at the ceremony.



'There are other indications dispersed among the hundreds of comic strips dedicated to him that are said to unequivocally reveal his faith.'



In the Batman comics the caped crusader is pictured praying by his bed as a child. The Nightcrawler, pictured right in the 2003 film X-Men 2, is a self-declared Catholic devoted to his faith.



One comic character who makes direct reference to his Catholicism is the Nightcrawler from the X-Men films.



Also known as Kurt Wagner, the acrobatic mutant is a gentle soul who has covered his blue body in Christian tattoos.



Mr Vallini added that there was evidence that Batman's mother had been a Catholic.



Christian values: Many US churches have given their blessing to the new Superman film Man of Steel, starring Henry Cavill as Superman

The other caped crusader: Pope Francis is known to enjoy Italian films, but has expressed no preference on superhero comics

Turning to Superman, he said the new film had stirred debate about the religious leanings of Superman's alter ego Clark Kent, although he seemingly claims to be a Methodist.



US churches have welcomed the film, with many urging their flocks to see it - an endorsement that no doubt boosted its box office returns.

In a separate review of Man of Steel, L'Osservatore Romano highlighted the similarities between Superman and Jesus, saying the comparison had been drawn ever since the character was created in 1932.

However, reviewer Emilio Ranzato noted that while both were sent to resolve earth's problems, Clark Kent - unlike Jesus - had used violence to achieve his ends.



Though its historic role has been to publish the Pope's official engagements and ponder deep religious questions, L'Osservatore Romano seems to have a weakness for cartoons and cinema.



Past subjects have included Harry Potter and James Bond, while in 2010 the paper described Homer Simpson as 'a true Catholic'.

St Peter's Square: The daily newspaper L'Osservatore Romano covers all the Pope's activities in and beyond the Vatican - but enjoys surprising readers every now and again



