San Francisco, Calif., Feb 17, 2009 / 23:29 pm
A Catholic priest in the San Francisco area has objected to a novelty shop’s sale of a prayer candle with President Barack Obama’s picture on it.
Fr. Tony La Torre of St. Philip the Apostle Church in Noe Valley has called for a boycott of the Just For Fun card and novelty shop, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
The $15 candles show the president’s haloed head pasted over the body of St. Martin de Porres, the Peruvian-born friar who is one of the first black saints in the Americas. On the candle, the saint is holding a crucifix.
Fr. La Torre said the candle “mocks Jesus” and “depicts our beloved saints in a not so saintly way.”