The Passion of PS? Vatican calls Sony ad "irreverent"
Sony appears to have released a peculiarly Italian ad to celebrate the PlayStation's tenth year, but it's raised the ire of Vatican officials due to its connection to the Christ.
The ad "features a young man's face, encircled by what appears to be a crown of thorns, but on closer inspection is actually the square, circle, and triangle shapes of the PlayStation controller." Underneath, it reads: "Dieci anni di passione" - which means "Ten years of passion," an obvious allusion to Mel Gibson's movie (The Passion of the Christ) and the suffering of Jesus.
Predictably, the Vatican did not respond with enthusiastic praise. Cardinal Ersilio Tonini called the advertisement "irreverent," and warned: "Now children can think that the Passion of Christ is a game." Considering Sony's censorship of religious imagery in the past, however, it seems unlikely that the license will be picked up anytime soon.
Follow this link to see the source of the ad yourself.
[Thanks, Tim]
