Ayatollah Blasts Ahmadinejad For Chavez/Jesus/Mahdi Return To Earth Remark

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is in trouble for claiming that Venezuela's Hugo Chavez will rise from the dead and return to earth in the company of Jesus Christ and the revered, long awaited Hidden Imam (Mahdi) to "bring peace, justice and perfection for all."

Iranian Ayatollah Seyyed Ahmad Khatami berated Mahmoud, saying:

“It would have been sufficient to simply send a diplomatic message without getting involved in ideological issues” or “religious connotations,” Ayatollah Seyyed Ahmad Khatami, Tehran’s Friday prayer leader, was quoted as saying. Ahmadinejad’s message was an “exaggeration,” he added. [snip]

Khatami criticized the president for carelessness, knowing that such a remark could provoke reactions within Iran’s religious institutions.

However, that won't stop him from saying more stupid and provocative things.