Catholics push Hyundai to kill soccer commercial

In a world where cartoons of Mohammed are banned, the objections below are no more than a call for equal treatment

"A 30-second television commercial that ran in the United States during the England-USA soccer match on Saturday has Catholic bloggers charging that the advertisement is blasphemous and mocks the core teachings of the church.

The ad begins with singing in Latin, and depicts an Argentine ‘church’ — complete with a stained-glass window of a soccer ball — in which the wildly popular sport is clearly what’s being worshipped.

Critics complain that Hyundai mocks the Eucharist, which Catholics believe to be the body of Christ, by showing ‘worshippers’ on their knees receiving slices of pizza rather than the communion host. … At one point the commercial shows a soccer ball covered with a crown of thorns. … Hyundai, a World Cup sponsor, apparently wanted to show how far some fans will go to support their cause.”

Source

One does wonder if Hyundai wants to sell cars to Catholics. It's an awful lot of people to antagonize. I think the Korean owners of the car-maker have been betrayed by Western ad-men. I hope Hyundai yank the account of the ad agency concerned.

Posted by John J. Ray (M.A.; Ph.D.).