Mr Cruz said his work, which mixes Christ with symbols of pop culture, was a symbol of a patriarchal society where men were ‘worshipped’. But the display has caused uproar among conservative Catholics, who say it is a mockery of their faith.

The Cultural Centre of the Philippines in Manila has been flooded with calls to withdraw the exhibit since it opened in June.

Mr Cruz, a 37-year-old visual and performance artist, added that it was his intention to provoke a reaction but he was surprised at the anger of the response.

‘You can't force people. But I just hope that when we look at something, the process doesn't stop at the surface,’ he said.

‘This speaks about objects that we worship, how we create these gods and idols, and how we in turn are created by our gods and idols.'

A number of furious locals have taken to Facebook to vent their anger. One user wrote: ‘May your soul burn to [sic] hell, you Devil pro [sic] artist,’.

Emmanuel Fernandez, a teacher who is a member of the staunchly Catholic social group Knights of Columbus, also opposes the penis crucifix, saying: ‘It is very offensive to the majority, since the majority are Christian. It's sort of mocking the faith,’.

Roman Catholics make up around 80 per cent of the Philippine population.

DoctorE wrote:

he was surprised at the anger of the response

Charlou wrote:Anyone else see that rosary dangling on the glans? This is very offensive to the men, since the men have a penis. It's sort of mocking the sex. Outrageous.



*imagines a tiny clitoris glued to the crucifix ... a miniscule madonna tonguing the clitoris ... a minute strapon dildo attached to the madonna ... a microscopic copy of the ten commandments etched on the dildo ... a nanoscopic youtube link to life of brian copypasted onto the ten commandments ... etc etc etc (I could go on except I've run out of smaller and smaller words) ... abstinence absurdity all the way down ...

MANILA — An art show featuring a poster of Jesus Christ with a wooden penis glued to his face was closed Tuesday after President Benigno Aquino intervened amid threats, vandalism and claims of blasphemy.

The closure came as a church group in the mainly Catholic country announced it was filing charges against the Cultural Centre of the Philippines over the installation by local artist Mideo Cruz, which it said violated religion.

Aquino told reporters Tuesday he had called the government-run centre the day before and told its staff he opposed the artwork.

"I did stress the idea that there are rights but if those rights hurt the rights of others, there is something wrong and that is not covered by the law. I reminded them that there is no freedom that is absolute," he said.

The cultural centre said in a statement that threats to its board of directors had increased as media attention to the exhibit sparked religious outrage, prompting them to close the show.

DoctorE wrote:Forced to shut it down; Torture threats for all eternity still ok

MANILA — An art show featuring a poster of Jesus Christ with a wooden penis glued to his face was closed Tuesday after President Benigno Aquino intervened amid threats, vandalism and claims of blasphemy.

The closure came as a church group in the mainly Catholic country announced it was filing charges against the Cultural Centre of the Philippines over the installation by local artist Mideo Cruz, which it said violated religion.

Aquino told reporters Tuesday he had called the government-run centre the day before and told its staff he opposed the artwork.

"I did stress the idea that there are rights but if those rights hurt the rights of others, there is something wrong and that is not covered by the law. I reminded them that there is no freedom that is absolute," he said.

The cultural centre said in a statement that threats to its board of directors had increased as media attention to the exhibit sparked religious outrage, prompting them to close the show.

Continues: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/ar ... d1aeba1.01

An exorcist priest led a ritual to ask for God’s forgiveness outside the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) where the controversial "Kulô" art exhibit was held.

According to a report on the website of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), the ritual or reparation rite on Sunday sought God's forgiveness for those who “dishonored the image of Christ."

Despite the presence of exorcist Father Michelle Joe Zerrudo, the CBCP did not call it an exorcism, or the religious act of expelling demons from a person or place believed to be possessed.

In the report, Father Zerrudo said the ritual of reparation was "an act of love for God to make up for the lack of love. This is not a political rally but simply a religious event."

One of the artworks included in the exhibit was artist Mideo Cruz's mixed-media "Poleteismo" which was criticized as "blasphemous" as it showed, among others, a crucifix draped with a pink, stretched-out condom, a Jesus image with a penis for a nose, and various other religious images placed alongside pictures of women modeling underwear.

The CCP on August 9 closed down the main gallery where the art exhibit was on display. In a statement, the CCP said threats to persons and property compelled the management's to close down the gallery.

'Reparation'

“Regardless of what has been done, we would like to tell the Lord that we would like to do reparation for whatever has been done against Him… this is a public manifestation," Zerrudo was quoted as saying.