In last week’s premiere episode for South Park‘s 22nd season, titled “Dead Kids,” creator Trey Parker and Matt Stone apparently wanted to set the tone for the episodes that would soon follow. How so? Well, aside from the title, the premiere dealt with the ramifications of a mass shooting at the boys’ school (among other horrifying but related subjects). To prove this point, Comedy Central has released a clip from, and the title of, season 22’s second episode: “A Boy and a Priest.”
Yes, that’s right. South Park is going after the Catholic Church and the many, many sex abuse scandals that have been associated with it in recent memory. According to a press release, the episode’s logline reads:
A very special relationship has developed between Butters and the Parish Priest. When the town finds the church doors locked and no sign of the pair, they call in the Catholic Church.
Seeing as how South Park has been around since 1997, it should come as no surprise that Wednesday’s new episode isn’t the first time the series has dealt with the subject. In 2002, the eighth episode of season six, “Red Hot Catholic Love,” Father Maxi travels to the Vatican after discovering that many Catholic priests in Colorado have molested children. It’s definitely one of the show’s weirder and more controversial entries in its tenure, so don’t be surprised if “A Boy and a Priest” edges toward a similar notoriety.
The latest episode of South Park airs Wednesday, October 3rd at 10 p.m. ET on Comedy Central.
