MANILA - AN ART exhibit featuring a Jesus Christ poster with a wooden penis glued to His face has sparked protests in the mainly Catholic Philippines.
Bishops and lay groups have demanded the state-run Cultural Centre of the Philippines close the exhibit on grounds it is blasphemous, immoral, illegal and offends the country's Catholic majority.
The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines said on its website that Christian lay groups were also preparing a lawsuit.
'Those responsible for the public exhibit... have a liability because they offended the religious beliefs of a country that is 85 per cent Christian,' the website quoted well-known Catholic activist Jo Imbong as saying.
She said the cultural centre could be charged with violating a law on 'immoral exhibitions' that normally applies to pornography.
The artwork, a collage by local artist Mideo Cruz, is part of an exhibit showcasing works by alumni from a church-run university aiming to challenge people's perceptions of figures they idolise. -- AFP
