A state-funded art exhibition in Vienna has drawn strong criticism from Catholic organizations who say several of the displayed works deeply offend the Passion of Jesus Christ and the dignity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The exhibition, titled “You shall make for yourself an image,” deliberately reverses the biblical command in Exodus 20:4. According to LifeSiteNews, the feature image placed at the entrance of the Künstlerhaus presents what is meant to be the Blessed Virgin Mary depicted as a bearded man holding a child.
Catholic activists have raised alarm over multiple displays they describe as gravely irreverent. TFP Student Action, which launched a petition against the exhibit, identified a number of works they consider especially objectionable. According to the group, these include a “crucified green frog that mocks Our Lord’s Passion,” a portrayal of “a bearded man dressed as Our Lady… holding a child,” a version of the Pietà in which “Our Lady [is shown] in complete nudity,” and a set of “liturgical vestments stained with blood, urine, and feces,” according to LifeSiteNews.
The Christian organization Christenschutz also publicly condemned the exhibition. Its president, Jan Ledóchowski, called the displays a “targeted, tasteless denigration of the sacred,” according to LifeSiteNews. Ledóchowski added that such mocking presentations “would never be done in the context of Islam or Judaism” and questioned why Christianity is treated as “fair game” for public ridicule.
Critics also noted the significance of the venue, as the Künstlerhaus receives public funding from the city of Vienna. TFP Student Action expressed concern that the exhibit will remain open throughout the Church’s most sacred seasons. The group stated that “the timing is especially painful” because the show runs during Advent, Christmas, and into February, “the very seasons in which the Church contemplates the Incarnation with love and reverence,” according to LifeSiteNews.
The organization’s petition urges Tanja Prušnik, president of the Künstlerhaus Vereinigung, to withdraw the exhibition, asking that it be removed “out of respect for the faith that shaped Austria as a nation and culture and continues to guide millions of its citizens,” according to LifeSiteNews.
TFP Student Action emphasized the spiritual seriousness of the matter, stating that “public blasphemy does real spiritual harm” and that “the faithful everywhere have a responsibility to stand up – peacefully, firmly, and without hesitation,” according to the report. Their campaign has adopted the rallying call, “Christmas Without Blasphemy.”
As the exhibition remains open, Catholic leaders and lay groups continue urging the faithful to respond with prayer, public witness, and peaceful appeals for reverence toward what Christians hold most sacred.
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