VATICAN CITY (AP) –Vatican media are praising the Beatles’ musical legacy and sounding philosophical about John Lennon’s boast that the British band was more popular than Jesus.

Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano says Lennon’s comment can be written off now as the bragging of a young man wrestling with unexpected success.

It also said the Beatles’ “White Album” demonstrated how creative the Beatles were, compared with what it called the “standardized, stereotypical” songs produced today.