Sacrilege or Sacrament?

DUBLIN (Reuters) – Irish bookmaker Paddy
Power was fending off the wrath of Christians in overwhelmingly Roman
Catholic Ireland on Friday over an advert depicting Jesus and the Apostles
gambling at the Last Supper.

The billboard posters, on display in the Irish capital, adapt Leonardo
da Vinci’s famous painting of the event to show Jesus with a stack of poker
chips, Judas with 30 pieces of silver and other apostles clutching hands
of cards.

"There’s a place for fun and games," says the caption.

Father Micheal MacGreil, Jesuit priest at St Francis Xavier’s Church in
central Dublin, branded the advert "grossly inappropriate and vulgar."

"This is an insult to the religious sensitivities of a lot of people
and should be withdrawn immediately," he told Reuters.

"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." Paddy Power acknowledged it had taken
a "load of flak" over the advert.

from Reuters

Funny, when they did it here, nobody seemed to mind.  And
they say Americans are a religious people….