VATICAN CITY (EWTN News/CNA)—The Vatican will take legal action against Italian clothing company Benetton to prevent the circulation of an ad featuring Pope Benedict XVI kissing a Muslim imam.
The move on Nov. 17 comes a day after Benetton hastily withdrew the image from a new advertising campaign following protests from both religions.
“The Secretariat of State has authorized its lawyers to initiate actions, in Italy and elsewhere, to prevent the circulation, via the mass media and in other ways, of a photo montage used in a Benetton advertising campaign in which the Holy Father appears in a way considered to be harmful, not only to the dignity of the Pope and the Catholic Church, but also to the sensibility of believers,” read the Vatican’s Nov. 17 statement.
The image was used as part of a new advertising campaign by Benetton titled “UNHATE” that was launched yesterday at a press conference in Paris. It was immediately followed by the unveiling of a new poster campaign at various locations around the globe.
The posters feature various religious and political leaders kissing each other on the mouth, including a mock-up of Pope Benedict XVI kissing Ahmed Mohamed el-Tayeb, the imam of the Al-Azhar mosque in Cairo.
A large banner bearing the image was unfurled from a bridge over the River Tiber in Rome. Within a few hours, however, the image had been withdrawn.
“We are so sorry that the use of the image of the Pope and the imam has so offended the sensibilities of the faithful in this way,” said a spokesman for Benetton Nov. 16. “In confirmation of our feelings, we have decided, with immediate effect, to withdraw this image from every publication.”
The Islamic religious authorities in Rome are also threatening to take legal action against Benetton for defamation.
“It is a serious lack of respect for the Pope, an affront to the feelings of the faithful and an evident demonstration of how, in the field of advertising, the most elemental rules of respect for others can be broken in order to attract attention by provocation,” said Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi Nov. 16.
Other posters include U.S. President Barack Obama and Chinese leader Hu Jintao and the Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Benetton is an Italian-based fashion company with around 6,000 stores in 120 countries. Their main clothing brand, the United Colors of Benetton, has become known in recent decades for the shock value of their publicity stunts.
In 1991, the company ran a poster campaign featuring a young priest in black cassock about to kiss a nun. Catholic groups subsequently failed in legal attempts to have the image removed from more than 1,300 billboard sites across the United States.
Other images used in recent years by Benetton have included a young man dying from AIDS, a bloodied newborn baby with uncut umbilical cord, a colorful mix of condoms, the blood-stained uniform of a dead Bosnian soldier and pictures of inmates on death row.
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The militant gaystapo at benetton tripped over its rainbow beak with this tasteless attempt at shock and awe propaganda… these purveyors of over priced junk produced by 3rd world slave labor are classic elitist boors… and when Italy defaults on its Goldman Sachs time bomb, 3rd world slave labor just might arrive in Italy in the twinkling of an eye.
I saw a link to another article regarding this and it showed the pictures of the “Pope and Imam” kissing, more than once, from more than one angle. So even if Benetton does pull this ad from print it is still out there to be seen. Repulsive. I’m simply disgusted by all of the pictures.
I didn’t even know this company was still around. Is this where I go to buy a Swatch?
The lesson to this whole sad scenario is this RESPECT. Respect for all religions, peoples and cultures. You think Benetton would learn the lesson that something of this was recently done in France involving the Prophet Mohammad and this was just after it was just announced. The editor’s shop was trashed and the message was given loud and clear-Do NOT make fun of my Faith or any other Faith or you will be very sorry. The store should have used Pope Paul VI instead because there were rumors about him which he finally had to address and publicly deny.(according to Wikipedia)
That wasn’t the wording I saw of this statement that appeared in the news articles. If this one is correct, it’s a lot better—the other made it sound like “we apologize that you are such pansies.”
Obviously we boycott Benetton.The Catholic Church has been attacked from many sides. I guess they missed Jesus’s words that the gates if Hell would not prevail against it.
A religion that says Jesus is only a prophet, and a religion that says Jesus is the Son of God are antithetical. Islam is not an Abrahamic faith as they claim. There can never be dialogue with Islam. The God of Abraham is the one true loving and merciful triune God. Attempted dialogue with Islam would be futile appeasement of evil. The god identified by the Koran is a vengeful god seeking to destroy Christianity. I am surprised the Muslims have not tried to beheadmuch85 the clothing manufacturer.
Perhaps there is a positive side to Benetton’s new ad campaign. Seeing enormous images of grown men engaging in passionate kisses is so revolting, it’s bound to get at least a few people to re-think their support of gay marriage. I used to hang out with the gay and lesbian crowds, and I think that even they—deep down—would find these images disturbing. Who in his right mind would see these pictures and not be completely grossed out?
I will never buy from Benetton again, period. The ad was offensive and disgusting. The Catholic Church is always under attack, and if we have to use our purchasing power to fight these attacks, so be it. The Holy Father deserves better.
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