London, England, Sep 16, 2010 / 00:48 am
With the papal visit to the U.K. about to begin, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) of Great Britain has banned an ice cream ad showing a heavily pregnant nun in church.
The magazine ad for Antonio Frederici ice cream shows the pregnant nun holding a tub of ice cream in one hand and a spoon in the other. Its text reads “Immaculately Conceived ... Ice cream is our religion.”
According to a report on the ASA website, 10 readers challenged that the ad was “offensive to Christians, particularly those who practiced Catholicism.”
The ice cream maker claimed the ad’s idea of “conception” represented the development of their ice cream. Defending the ad, the company said its decision to use religious imagery “stemmed from their strong feelings towards their product.” They also said they wished to comment upon and question “the relevance and hypocrisy of religion and the attitudes of the church to social issues” by using “satire and gentle humor.”