Bacolod bishop rails against ‘grossly insensitive’ art exhibit

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines—The outrage voiced by Catholics over the controversial art exhibit at the Cultural Center of the Philippines in Manila has reached Negros Occidental.

Bacolod Bishop Vicente Navarra is to lead an indignation rally on Monday to protest the work of artist Mideo Cruz, which he said was “highly offensive and grossly insensitive to the cultural sensibilities of Filipinos.”

“Moral perversion has no place in the world of arts. It should not be distorted under the claim of freedom of expression because there is no true freedom except in the service of what is good and just,” said Navarra in a pastoral letter.

The art exhibit featuring a poster of Jesus Christ with a wooden penis glued on it sparked outraged among various Catholic groups. The CCP has since closed down the exhibit following what it said were threats against property and person made by unidentified people opposed to what they said was sacrilege.

Bishop Navarra said he, along with the Bacolod clergy, found the exhibit highly offensive and grossly insensitive to the cultural sensibilities of Filipinos.

Adding insult to injury, the exhibit was displayed in an institution, which claims that it “nurtures and promotes artistic excellence, Filipino aesthetics and identity,” he added.

He said this kind of exhibit did not reflect the Filipino identity and culture.

“We are deeply saddened and offended by this sacrilegious exhibit that takes on the guise of contemporary artistry, yet in truth, is nothing but a work which is deceitful and superficial,” Navarra said.

“It is a vile attempt to uproot the Filipinos, a vast majority of whom are Catholics, from  their Christian heritage by disparaging the sacred person of Jesus Christ and by making a mockery of what we as Catholics hold as sacred and dear to our hearts,” he added.