Posted on 06/30/2015 9:36:06 AM PDT by NYer
You may have heard about the highly offensive move of the Milwaukee Art Museum. They displayed a “portrait” of Benedict XVI made from colored condoms. That’s just plain nasty.
The Vicar General of the Diocese of Madison, Msgr. James Bartylla, wrote a letter to the Museum. He shared it with me. I have his permission to share it with you. He also wrote:
[F]eel free to tell you readers that I encourage them to write to the Milwaukee Art Museum (mam@mam.org) to communicate their displeasure, with civility and respect (and with appropriate vigor and articulation), at this “artistic” display of such poor taste.
Here is his letter:
Dear Milwaukee Art Museum (cc: Communication Director – Archdiocese of Milwaukee),
As a priest of the Diocese of Madison, the decision by the Milwaukee Art Museum to acquire and prominently display a controversial portrait of His Holiness Benedict XVI fashioned from 17,000 colored condoms is very offensive to civility and decorum for the general public and is profoundly disrespectful and even blasphemous to the Catholic faithful.
If a piece were as offensive to other faith traditions or communities would it be equally tolerated by you?
I firmly stand behind Most Reverend Jerome Listecki, Archbishop of Milwaukee, in seeing your decision as insulting and callous. I was born and raised in Milwaukee. I want you to know that I will not attend the Milwaukee Art Museum, and I will advocate to others not to attend the museum and not to subscribe to memberships to the museum. I will advocate to others to notify you of their extreme displeasure at your poor decision.
If you remove this item not only from display but also from the collection of the Milwaukee Art Museum and do not forward it for public display or collection elsewhere, I will reconsider my decision in order to allow you a chance in justice to rectify your poor decision for the common good.
I await your reply.
Respectfully, Monsignor James Bartylla
Okay, folks… adopt this strategy and share on the interwebs. Let’s get something going.
According to one comment, the museum had only received 200 complaints. Let’ grow that number, ping!
Notice the museum singled out Benedict XVI for abuse. Ping!
As a non-catholic, I find this display to be outrageous. Still, the museum wants to display it anyways despite the protests.
This is in blantant contrast where the left “FAKES” and “FEIGNS” offense towards things like the confederate flag, etc. And we on the right fall for it and do what the left demands. By displaying this ‘art’, the left shows what frauds and actors they are.
From now on when the left says they are ‘offended’ over something, we should tell simply to F#CK OFF since they don’t mean it anyway.
I’m sure the Freedom From Religion morons in Madistan are pleased
Here’s my letter:
I am a Catholic Infectious Diseases specialist in New York who has been caring for HIV/AIDS patients since before we knew that AIDS was caused by a virus.
Saint Vincent’s Hospital, a Catholic hospital, opened the first AIDS Unit in New York City. Saint Vincent’s doctors, nurses, nuns and priests were at the forefront of caring for patients stricken with HIV-AIDS, and at the time, these were primarily gay men.
Maybe this artist should learn some history before insulting the people who cared for AIDS patients when many others shunned or vilified them.
It is very easy to pick the low-hanging fruit when you want to “initiate a dialog” by producing and displaying a crass and insulting work of art. After all, Catholics are not known for beheading artists who depict Christ, His saints, or His Church in an offensive manner.
Some Moslem countries execute homosexuals just for being homosexuals, all in the name of Islam. Now, there’s a dialog worth having.
Let’s see if the artist and your museum are willing to display a condom portrait of Mohammed...
Respectfully,
Mario F. Romagnoli, M.D.
I used to live close to the museum. Spent a lot of time there. Beautiful building right on the Lake. Saw some wonderful exhibitions! This stinks though!
If I may suggest a reply:
To the Milwaukee Art Museum,
Since you have found it within the scope of your artistic temperament to display a gross and insulting “portrait” of a retired Catholic Pope, we are sure you will have no problem with us demonstrating some “artistic temperament” of our own.
Therefore we are planning a free-form bit of performance art to be held on the steps of your museum. We will be encouraging artists to render images of Mohammed (the dead one who founded Islam) made up entirely of tampons.
I’m sure you will welcome this inspired and unique display as a form of free speech and self expression for all those involved.
Yet, what is the % of homosexuals in the general populace.
Somehow, I doubt even if the # of complaints exceeded the % above, they’d remove squat.
I wonder if they’d display a Confederate Battle Flag done up in all the colors of the “gay-nbow”...
Can they be bloody?
Good one Mario. San Rocco would be proud.
Once again, we see that for progressives the Christian religion is exempted from the obligation to be treated with civility.
Sometimes the best part of a joke is what you don’t say.
Oh. Sorry.
[Sheepishly looks at the ground]
Of course that didn't stop the militant gays from protesting when Pres. Reagan named O'Connor to serve on the national commission charged with stemming AIDS. One protester held aloft a sign that read ''Cardinal O'Connor Loves Gay People . . . If They Are Dying of AIDS.''
Thank you for your testimony!
Lol!
I started out to make that a joke, but now I’m thinking of rewording it (just a wee bit) and sending it.
Might just get a rise out of ‘em.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.