An
unholy row has broken out between the Catholic Church and impersonator
Mario Rosenstock over an RTE sketch about Olympic champion Katie Taylor that appears to mock Holy Communion.
The
Catholic Communications Office (CCO) has formally complained to RTE and
demanded an apology over the boxing-themed sketch set in a church,
which showed a man spitting into a bucket – in the manner of a prize
fighter – before receiving Holy Communion.
"Any objective viewer
would certainly see the offence caused in ridiculing the reception of
Holy Communion, the Eucharist, which is the Body of Christ. To make fun
of this sacred act is sacrilege and is offensive to the core belief of
every Catholic," church spokesman Martin Long wrote in a letter to RTE
managing director of television Glen Killane.
Rosenstock said
yesterday he was disappointed with the church's reaction. He denied
that the parody shown on his RTE Two show last Monday night was aimed at
the church.
"It was clearly based on the phenomenon that is Katie Taylor and how her success has permeated every facet of Irish life. On
a more serious note, it seems to me that there is a bigger game afoot.
After the Prime Time Investigates controversy over Fr Reynolds, does
the church now believe it can go around and start telling RTE what they
can and cannot show?" he asked.
Demanding an apology, the CCO
wrote: "By making this complaint I am not suggesting that the church is
beyond humour by comedians; however, a line must be drawn at some point
and to parody the reception of the Eucharist in such a manner goes
beyond basic standards of taste and decency which we should be able to
expect from our national public service broadcaster."
The CCO said
it had received complaints concerning the broadcast.
"I ask that RTE
Two broadcasts an apology at 9.30pm this Monday, December 3, and also to
remove the offensive sketch from the RTE website. In addition, I
ask that you please consider the core beliefs of Catholics before
broadcasting content which may cause offence to [the] church faithful. In
order to assist, I invite you to contact the CCO if RTE wishes to seek
guidance in advance of similar broadcasts in the future."
But Rosenstock rejected the complaint, adding: "On a playful note, I might add that Jesus himself would have laughed at it."