Catholic fury at chocolate Jesus
Staff and agencies
Friday March 30, 2007
Guardian Unlimited
My Sweet Lord, the chocolate Jesus by Cosimo Cavallaro
The unveiling of an anatomically detailed sculpture of Christ made entirely out of milk chocolate has infuriated Catholic groups in New York.
"This is one of the worst assaults on Christian sensibilities ever," said Bill Donohue, head of the watchdog Catholic League. "It's not just the ugliness of the portrayal, but the timing - to choose Holy Week is astounding."
The 1.8-metre-high sculpture, which depicts Jesus suspended as if from the cross, has been dubbed "My Sweet Lord" by its creator, Cosimo Cavallaro.
It is scheduled to open at the midtown Manhattan Lab gallery on Monday evening, the day after Palm Sunday and just four days before Good Friday, with closing planned for Easter Sunday.
"The fact that they chose Holy Week shows this is calculated, and the timing is deliberate," said Donohue, whose group represents 350,000 Catholics countrywide.
He called for an economic boycott of the hotel, which he described as "already morally bankrupt".
The gallery's creative director, Matt Semler, said the Lab had been overrun with angry telephone calls and emails about the exhibit.
Although he described Donohue's response as "a Catholic fatwa", Semler said the gallery was considering its options.
"We're obviously surprised by the overwhelming response and offence people have taken," said Semler, adding that the Holy Week timing was an unfortunate coincidence.
"We are certainly in the process of trying to figure out what we're going to do next."
