Pope Forgives the Beatles for their sins

At the height of their fame, The Beatles enraged the Roman Catholic Church when John Lennon famously declared that they were bigger than Jesus.

Their enthusiastic pursuit of the sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll life also did little to convince the Vatican that they were anything other than a thoroughly bad influence.

But now, in a move sanctioned by Pope Benedict XVI, the Catholic Church has forgiven the Fab Four for their various excesses and even gone so far as to laud them as a "precious jewel."

In a front-page article, L'Osservatore Romano, the Vatican's official newspaper, offers a glowing assessment of The Beatles' achievements 40 years after they split up, heralding their "beautiful melodies" and asking "what would pop music have been like without the Beatles?"

In an astonishing turnaround, the Church dismisses previous moral outrages, including blasphemous remarks, drug taking and even what it claims could have been Satanic messages contained in their music.

While recognizing that John, Paul, George and Ringo were no saints during their time in The Beatles, the Vatican assures followers that they were by no means the worst-behaved of their generation.

Offering the band complete absolution, the article, Seven Years That Shook Music, L'Osservatore Romano said: "It's true they took drugs, lived life to excess because of their success, even said they were bigger than Jesus and put out mysterious messages, that were possibly even Satanic.

"They may not have been the best example for the youth of the day, but they were by no means the worst. Their beautiful melodies changed music and continue to give pleasure."

The glowing praise may come as a surprise to many Catholics, given the band's very public attacks on organized religion.

John Lennon sparked international condemnation from Christians of all denominations when he famously declared in an interview in 1966 that The Beatles were bigger than Jesus, saying, "Christianity will go. It will vanish and shrink. I needn't argue about that; I'm right and I'll be proved right. We're more popular than Jesus now; I don't know which will go first, rock 'n' roll or Christianity."

At the time, the Catholic Church was at the forefront of attacks on the remarks, but two years ago forgave Lennon for his comments, insisting it had merely been the "boasting of an English working-class lad struggling to cope with unexpected success."

Sir Paul McCartney and George Harrison were baptized as Catholics, but neither followed the faith.

In the late 1960s, all four members of the band became fascinated with Eastern mysticism.

Earlier this year, Ringo Starr, who will be 70 this year, admitted he had finally found religion, saying: "For me, God is in my life. I don't hide from that. I think the search has been on since the 1960s."