Probably some priests walking around with red faces today.
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Catholic Magazine Apologizes Over Ad
By RACHEL ZOLL, AP Religion WriterThu Dec 22, 1:35 PM ET
A Jesuit magazine has apologized after inadvertently publishing an
advertisement for a Virgin Mary statue wrapped in a condom that an
artist intended as a protest against the church's opposition to condom
use.
The Rev. Drew Christiansen, editor-in-chief of America, said in a note
to readers that the condom was not visible in the black and white proofs
that were used to review the final draft of the Dec. 5 issue, which
appeared with color photos.
"We are returning payment for the ad and protesting the abuse to the
artist," Christiansen wrote to subscribers.
The headline for the ad read, "Unique Contemporary Religious Art Work
for Sale." In the text, the statue was called "Extra Virgin," and was
described as "a stunning 22 cm high statue of the Virgin Mary standing
atop a serpent wearing a delicate veil of latex."
The statue was made by Steve Rosenthal, who said he was an artist in
London. Rosenthal released a statement Thursday saying he placed the ad
as a protest for World AIDS Day against Vatican opposition to the use of
condoms to stem the spread of the disease. World AIDS Day is Dec. 1.
"I at no time tried to dupe or deceive `America' magazine," Rosenthal
said. "The description of the work was clear by both the text included
and image provided."
The Rev. Jim Martin, associate editor, called the ad "a deliberate
attempt to embarrass us and denigrate Mary."
"The word condom is not in the ad," Martin said Thursday. "The word
`latex' for a celibate priest does not register as it might with lay
people."
Christiansen said America was changing how it reviewed ads in response
to the mistake. Martin said the magazine, which has a circulation of
about 46,000, received a few dozen complaints from readers.
America previously had been the target of criticism from church
officials.
The Vatican's doctrinal watchdog, the Congregation for the Doctrine of
the Faith, pressed Jesuit leaders to remove the previous editor, the
Rev. Thomas Reese, after the magazine published articles by scholars who
took issue with Catholic teaching, according to sources in the religious
order. Reese resigned in May.
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http://tinyurl.com/8e9s2
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John Hachmann aa #1782
"Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities"
-Voltaire
Contact - Throw a .net over the .com
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