Rubber Souls

The Vatican has given peace a chance with The Beatles.

All is forgiven ---- even John Lennon's statement more than 40 years ago that the Beatles were more popular than Jesus Christ.

The Vatican newspaper paid tribute to the Fab Four on the 40th anniversary of the band's break-up.

Last month the newspaper even included "Revolver" on its top 10 best albums list.

In the past the newspaper even gave props to "The White Album." Guess the line "Mother Superior jumped the gun" from "Happiness is a Warm Gun" doesn't get under their skin anymore.

OK, so maybe it's not the best time for some people to get compliments from the Vatican, what with all the sex abuse scandal.

That may have been what Ringo Starr was thinking when he told CNN on Monday: "Didn't the Vatican say we were Satanic or possibly Satanic -- and they've still forgiven us? I think the Vatican, they've got more to talk about than the Beatles."

Maybe the Vatican is reading more into this Beatles thing like a lot of stoners did with the band's music.

After all, there was a Pope John Paul.

Coincidence? Of course ---- but it wouldn't have been if his successor took the name Pope George Ringo.

Speaking of George, he was considered the spiritual Beatle. Even moreso in his post-Beatles career with "My Sweet Lord."

McCartney seemed to flirt with neo-Catholicism on "Let it Be."

Lennon just kept needling religion. A few years after his Beatles are bigger than Jesus" outburst, he included the line "Christ, you know it ain't easy" line in "The Ballad of John and Yoko."

But were the Beatles ever really satanic? Well, Good Time Charlie Manson went berserko grande after believing that The Beatles' "Helter Skelter" convinced him to star a race war and kill actress Sharon Tate.

The Beatles actually got a bum rap with the satanic messages thing ---- considering it was the Rolling Stones who wrote and sang the song "Sympathy for the Devil" and even released an album called "Their Satanic Majesties Request."

Who knows, maybe the Vatican will canonize Mick Jagger in the near future.

So now that the Vatican has accepted The Beatles music that "lives on," maybe some of their songs should be retitled to include all faiths in the equation:

Such as:

1. "With a little help from my rabbi"

2. "She's leaving home to join a nunnery"

3. "You never give me your money in the collection plate"

4. "Everybody's trying to be my Buddah"

5. "Everybody's got something to hide 'cept for me and my monk"

6. "Hey Judas"

7. "Mother Teresa's son"

8. "Fixing a soul"

Two songs about the end of days:

9. ("You say you want the book of) Revelation"

10. "Here comes the son of God"