LONDON: The Roman Catholic Church has expressed concerns over the growing popularity of the "Twilight" series, as Vatican officials have called the vampire franchise a "moral vacuum with a deviant message".
The worldwide hype of the series has drawn criticism from the Vatican, with officials urging parents to be more vigilant about the type of films their children are watching, reports imdb.com.
"The theme of vampires in 'Twilight' combines a mixture of excesses that as ever is aimed at young people and gives a heavy �esoteric element. It is once again that age-old trick or ideal formula of using extremes to make an impact at the box office. This film is nothing more than a moral vacuum with a deviant message and as such should be of concern," said Monsignor Franco Perazzolo of the Pontifical Council of Culture.
The second film in the vampire series, "The Twilight Saga: New Moon", hit cinemas Friday worldwide.
Vatican officials previously criticised the Harry Potter film franchise for its themes of magic and wizardry, as well as Dan Brown's "The Da Vinci Code" and "Angels and Demons" for their depiction of the Catholic Church.