Apparently the watching of the Simpsons is now condoned by the Church. Which is nice.

The Vatican has declared that the Simpsons are a fine example of the Catholic ideal, and given parents the green light to let their kids watch the animated show.

The declaration, in Vatican in-house mag Osservatore Romano, confirms both an earlier paean to the show, and the Simpsons’ own onscreen conversion a few years ago.

The paper cites the show’s constant questioning of faith – a popular pastime for Catholics, as well as their attempts to pray before meals. We’re pretty sure we’ve also seen Homer try to nail Bart to things, but we’re not sure this is the sort of thing Rome had in mind.

Obviously, I’ve not watched a single episode until now, but with endorsements like that I’m sure I’ll be able to enjoy the tales of violence, theft, nuclear meltdowns and zombie apocalypses much more…

Also: does this count as the official anti-denouncement to G Bush Snr’s little rant about the Simpsons v the Waltons?