Pastafarianism can apply to register as a religion

Pastafarians outside the Regional Administrative Court in Warsaw on Tuesday. The banner states: "Do not be afraid of the monster. Photo: PAP/Tomasz Gzell

Judge Wlodzimierz Kowalczyk said that Tuesday's ruling was taken on formal grounds, as the ministry had not given the applicants a two-month extension to submit outstanding documents.

Kowalczyk added that the ministry “had not even indicated that there were such shortcomings” in the original application.

The ruling was welcomed by followers of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.

A group of the so-called Pastafarians had gathered outside the court on Tuesday, chanting “pasta” and other rallying cries.

Pastafarianism emerged in the United States in 2005, after physics student Bobby Henderson protested against the Kansas State Board of Education's decision to permit the teaching of intelligent design as an alternative to creationism in science classes.

Pastafarians state that the world was created by Flying Spaghetti Monster (FSM). Prayers end with the word r'amen, in an allusion to both the Japanese noodle dish ramen and the amen of Christian worship.

A panel of experts had advised the ministry that Pastafarianism “includes elements that parody existing doctrines, especially Christian ones” and as such could not be officially registered as a religion. (nh)

Source: PAP