New Zealand Ad: Pope Blesses Gay Couple
January 10, 2013 4 Comments
In the New Zealand Herald:
A billboard depicting Pope Benedict XVI blessing the marriage of a male couple is unlikely to cause widespread offence, the Advertising Standards Authority has ruled.
The authority dismissed complaints against the Powershop billboard by four complainants.
The four-and-a-half storey billboard was part of a campaign by Powershop, with the slogan “Same Power, Different Attitude”.
The signs were put up last month in central Auckland and Wellington.
One complainant, B Pender, said the billboard offended him as a Christian.
“It is attempting to imply that the Catholic Church and The Vatican condone same sex marriage despite no formal communication of said claim.”
Other complaints to the authority mirrored that view and said the advertisement mocked the Catholic religion.
The authority’s chairman Jenny Robson said the advertisement was referring to the issue of the same-sex marriage bill that was before Parliament and was legislation the Catholic Church opposed.
The electricity company used irony and humour, in keeping with Powershop’s same power, different attitude campaign, she said.
Ms Robson said she acknowledged the offence caused to the complainants, but the billboard did not reach the threshold to be said to cause widespread offence in light of prevailing community standards.
“Neither did it breach the due sense of responsibility to consumers and society.”
Powershop chief executive Ari Sargent welcomed today’s decision.
“It kind of reflects the feedback that we’ve got from the general public – yes, there was some vocal opposition but, by in large, people saw it for what it was and didn’t find it particularly offensive.”
Yes, inoffensive only to the godless…
About Fr Stephen Smuts
They haven’t the courage to put an image of the late Ayatollah Khomeini
Or better yet, “The Prophet Muhammad”
There would be so much death threats and protests!
And so it begins……………………
It begins? We’re already in the middle of a war, didn’t you know? (Well, I don’t blame you if you didn’t- there’s not enough turmoil or hardship to keep our wits about us constantly.)
Sometimes, I feel like we’re all a bunch of frogs in a pot. We’re all waiting until the water boils before we jump out. I certainly hope no one had yet put a lid on that pot.