An advertisement run by Irish bookmaker Paddy Power depicting Jesus and the Apostles gambling at the Last Supper has been met with moral outrage across Europe.
The billboard posters, on display around Dublin, adapted Da Vinci\’s famous painting into a scene of Jesus with a stack of poker chips, Judas with 30 pieces of silver and other Apostles clutching hands of cards, with the caption “There\’s a time for fun and games.”
Father Micheal McGreil, a Jesuit and sociologist, attacked the ad as showing a “lack of respect of the beliefs of the vast majority of Christians in Ireland, both Catholic and Protestant”.
“To abuse this image, which is central to Christian beliefs, in a vulgar advertising campaign is totally and grossly inappropriate and Paddy Power should apologize to the people,” he added.
“We didn\’t mean to offend anyone so if anyone takes offence apologies for that,” said a spokesman for the bookmaker.
“It\’s a tongue-in-cheek situation — people aren\’t supposed to take it as seriously as some people seem to be.”
Paddy Power says they have no plans to withdraw the posters.
Two previous Paddy Power campaigns also caused controversy.
Animal rights groups complained about one showing a rabbit with a missing paw and the caption, “Make Your Own Luck.”
Another featured two elderly ladies using walkers to cross a street with odds written above them.
At the time, the Irish bookmaker insisted it was a race to see who could cross the road first, but many saw the odds as relating to which woman would be run over by a car.
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