Benetton blasted for Pope kissing ad

Benetton has been forced to pull a controversial photo montage showing the Pope kissing Egypt’s Ahmed el Tayyeb, imam of the Al-Azhar Mosque in Cairo and a leading voice in Sunni Islam, from its new global ad campaign after a Vatican backlash.

The new campaign from the Italian clothes company recalls the brand’s controversial heyday. A series of posters features world leaders with lips locked to launch the UNHATE project.

Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi called the unauthorised and “manipulative” use of the pope’s picture in the photo montage totally unacceptable and suggested it might take legal action against the company.

“This is a grave lack of respect for the pope, an offence against the sentiments of the faithful and a clear example of how advertising can violate elementary rules of respect for people in order to attract attention through provocation,” he said in a statement.

A large banner with the image of the pope and the imam was hung from a bridge near the Vatican on Wednesday morning but later removed.

Benetton said it was “sorry that the use of the image had so hurt the sensibilities of the faithful”.

The company defended the campaign, saying its purpose “was solely to battle the culture of hate in all its forms”.

According to Benetton “These are symbolic images of reconciliation – with a touch of ironic hope and constructive provocation – to stimulate reflection on how politics, faith and ideas, even when they are divergent and mutually opposed, must still lead to dialogue and mediation.”