Images of Jesus and Mary
can be used in advertisements, the European Court of Human
Rights said Tuesday.
The ECHR condemned Lithuania for fining a firm that used
Jesus and Mary on posters and on the Internet to sell suits.
According to the judges, the fine issued for "offending
public morals" violated the company's right to free expression.
The company used the photo of a tattooed, jeans-wearing man
and a white-dressed woman in a pearl necklace with haloes,
captioned "Jesus, what pants!", "Dear Mary, what a dress!", and
Jesus and Mary, what are you wearing!".
The ads sparked a series of protests to the national agency
for the defence of consumer rights, which fined the company 580
euros for not respecting religion.
Speaking to ANSA in Rome, Jesuit Father Francesco Occhetta
said the ECHR "betrayed the principle of lay society which is
based on respect for religious freedom" in ruling that ads
featuring Jesus and Mary are OK.
Occhetta, who writes for influential Jesuit publication
Civilta Cattolica, said "if you safeguard freedom of expression
you should also safeguard the right of not seeing your religious
sentiments humiliated".
He said "it is a question of checks and balances; you can't
elevate one principle in order to destroy another".
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