NEW YORK (AP) - Catholic and Jewish groups are condemning actress Susan Sarandon for referring to Pope Benedict XVI as a Nazi.
The head of the Catholic League says her comment was "obscene" and the Anti-Defamation League released a statement calling on the actress to apologize to the Catholic community for the "deeply offensive" remark.
Sarandon, who won an Academy Award for her role in the 1995 anti-death penalty film, "Dead Man Walking," made the comment during an interview Saturday at the Hamptons Film Festival on Long Island.
As first reported by Newsday, Sarandon said she gave a copy of the book on which the film is based to the German-born pope, referring to him as a Nazi.
A telephone call to Sarandon's representative asking for comment was not immediately returned.
By Douglas Holtz-Eakin
The young drop coverage to avoid higher premiums
Independent voices from the TWT Communities
Join the Communities and submit your column in response to one written, or on something totally new and unique. We want to hear from you
Health care reform, organized medicine, physician practice management, and patient care--a real time look at the challenges facing doctors and patients in America today.
First over-the-counter column approved for fast and effective relief from even your worst media-induced headache.
Benghazi: The anatomy of a scandal
13 Photos
Vietnam Memorial adds four names
18 Photos
Cinco de Mayo on the Mall
11 Photos
NRA kicks off annual convention
8 Photos
California wildfires wreak havoc
37 Photos
