Yes, Jesus appears in a myriad of forms, outfits, and doing all sorts of activities in America. We boast portraits of the Savior in such diverse poses as Jesus in the boxing ring, Jesus as a flowing-haired hippie, and procelain statuettes where he plays football and soccer with happy children.
But the latest version, called “My Sweet Lord” but informally dubbed “Chocolate Jesus, is a life-size, edible, and totally naked sculpture of Jesus. And it has already caused such controversy among Catholics that his Chocolate Holiness is no longer on display. An AP article reports:
“A planned Holy Week exhibition of a nude, anatomically correct chocolate sculpture of Jesus Christ was canceled Friday amid a choir of complaining Catholics that included Cardinal Edward Egan. The “My Sweet Lord” display was shut down by the hotel that houses the Lab Gallery in midtown Manhattan, said Matt Semler, the gallery’s creative director.”
The Catholic League’s Bill Donahue, not surprisingly, was very upset by the Chocolate Savior. “Word of the confectionary Christ infuriated Catholics, including Egan, who described it as ‘a sickening display,’” reports Mcshane. “Bill Donohue, head of the watchdog Catholic League, said it was ‘one of the worst assaults on Christian sensibilities ever’.”
The exhibition of the 200-pound chocolate Jesus was especially planned for Holy Week, to be unveiled on Monday and open to the public until Easter. Plenty of us–including me–are disappointed that the public will not get to enjoy Chocolate Jesus, at least for now.
The artist, Cosimo Cavallaro, who works primarily with food in his work, designed “Chocolate Jesus” to “features Christ with his arms outstretched as if on an invisible cross,” and “unlike the typical religious portrayal of Christ, the Cavallaro creation does not include a loincloth.”
Since Friday, offers have been pouring in to Cavallero to either buy “Chocolate Jesus” or display him elsewhere, reports CBS and other new outlets. Apparently, nobody likes an anatomically correct Savior, even if he’s made entirely of chocolate.
posted April 2, 2007 at 6:33 pm
I’m glad we won’t get to see Chocolate Jesus. I thought the entire venture was a blasphemous publicity stunt. Christ’s name and proposed likeness are exploited and made profane too often. And these activities have almost become acceptable. For more chocolate Jesus commentary, go to http://www.praywithjay.blogspot.com
posted April 5, 2007 at 2:55 am
honestly, I thought the catholics and christians totally missed the point – a point that falls in line with their beliefs. easter = commercialism = chocolate bunnies and damn near chocolate everything. it’s become as bad as christmas.