Australian Catholic Church running ads in movie theaters

Sydney, Australia, Dec 6, 2007 / 10:11 am

The Catholic Church in Australia on Wednesday debuted its first ever movie advertising campaign, CathNews reports.

The advertising targets those who might be more open to God during the Christmas season.

The cinema ad is brief and non-intrusive, showing a montage of images of Catholic life.  It asks, “Have you ever wanted to know what Catholics believe?”

The ads will run during the animated film “The Bee Movie” from December 6-19, and during showings for the movie “Atonement” from December 26 to January 9.

Archbishop John Bathersby, Chairman of the Bishops Commission for Mission and Faith Formation, said the goal of the advertisements is to invite people to translate their Christmas experience into lasting peace by finding out more about Jesus Christ through the Catholic Church. 

The timing of the advertisements was no accident.

“Boxing Day is the biggest movie-going day of the year and we are excited about this new method of taking the message of Christ and the Church out to the broader Australian community,” the archbishop said.  He noted that the New Year was a time when people reassess their lives and look for what is missing from them.

“Perhaps… they will be prompted to find out more about how the Catholic faith can help them find the peace they are searching for,” Archbishop Bathersby said.