Rome, Italy (CNN) -- The Vatican's official newspaper has strongly criticized Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, calling it "deplorable" that he tells blasphemous, anti-Semitic and sexist jokes.
Sunday's editorial came a day after the Italian Catholic bishops' newspaper said Berlusconi needed to show more respect.
The Catholic newspapers were responding to videos posted on the internet showing Berlusconi telling jokes about the Holocaust and a female opposition politician, and using a fairly common but blasphemous curse, "Pig God".
All the jokes seem to have been made in private or semi-private settings and recorded on cell phones or similar devices.
In one, the prime minister jokes about a Jewish family charging another Jewish man a daily rate to hide him from the Nazis during World War II, then not telling him when the war is over.
In another, he says Italian opposition politician Rosy Bindi is so unattractive that she frightens off a man who's always trying to charm women.
CNN
