Merry Christmas to All, and to All, a GOOD Night
Condom-Veiled Virgin Mary Yanked From Magazine
By Deborah Zabarenko
Reuters
WASHINGTON (Dec. 22) - An advertisement for a statue of the Virgin Mary veiled in a condom has embarrassed the publishers of the U.S. Catholic magazine America, and prompted some heated comment on Catholic Web sites.
America, a weekly run by the Jesuit order of priests, said in a statement it was embarrassed and offended by the ad, which it said had been published unknowingly in its December 5 edition.
The apparent prank by a London-based artist offered what he called the "Extra Virgin" statue for sale, "a stunning ... statue of the Virgin Mary standing atop a serpent wearing a delicate veil of latex."
A color photograph showed a statue of magenta-robed Mary, who most Christians believe was a virgin when she gave birth to Jesus, covered with a translucent but visible condom.
America's editors offered a statement of apology: "We were embarrassed to have readers call our attention to the offensive advertisement that escaped our unknowing eyes and appeared in the December 5 issue ... The offense was compounded when we learned in the advertiser's reply to a concerned reader that he had intended his art as an assault on Catholic faith and devotion.
"We have taken several steps to tighten our advance review of advertising and express our outrage to the artist."
The problem came about because America's editors only saw the ad in black and white before it was published, and the condom was not as evident, according to the magazine's associate editor, Rev. James Martin.
IN BLACK AND WHITE
"When our ad person saw it in black and white, she didn't see anything," Martin said in a telephone interview. "When I got the magazine in color, I noticed the ad, I thought it was a little odd, but we regularly get ads for all sorts of strange religious art."
Another issue may be Catholic priests' unfamiliarity with what condoms look like.
"We're Jesuits," Martin said. "I don't think you could have found anyone in the editors' room who has seen a condom." The mention of a "veil of latex" failed to register, he said.
The Catholic World News Web site -- www.cwnews.com -- ran a copy of the ad and blamed the magazine, and one blogger on the site urged readers to complain to the editor and his regional superior.
"Of course, they'll laugh and toss your protest into the wastebasket (if they didn't think condom-coating a phallus-sized statuette of the Blessed Virgin was an amusing tease of your piety, they wouldn't hold the jobs they now do)," the blogger wrote.
Another writer on the Philokalia Republic blog called on America's editors to apologize, but noted, "It does seem an irreverent artist was trying to incite a controversy for free advertising."
The magazine was in hot water in May, when its previous editor, Rev. Thomas Reese, quit under Vatican pressure because he had published articles examining both sides of issues such as gay priests, Vatican secrecy or the use of condoms to prevent AIDS.
The Catholic Church opposes all forms of contraception, which means it does not approve condoms even if used to help prevent the spread of AIDS. At the same time, the Church runs many hospitals and clinics to help AIDS victims.
Reese's resignation was seen as an attempt by the Vatican to ensure that Church publications reflect more closely its conservative policies. America follows a moderate to liberal editorial line that favors debating controversial questions.