A state funded art exhibition in Vienna openly mocks the passion of Jesus Christ and Blessed Virigin Mary.
The exhibition titled, ‘You shall make for yourself an image,” directly contradicts God’s command in Scripture not to make ‘a graven image or any likeness of what is in heaven above’ (Exodus 20:4).”
The display’s controversial featured image, prominently placed at the entrance of the ‘Künstlerhaus’ in Vienna, represents the Blessed Virgin Mary as a bearded man cradling a child.
TFP Student Action, a Catholic activist group started a petition to end the blasphemous display. The exhibition also includes a crucified green frog that mocks Our Lord’s Passion, a bearded man dressed as Our Lady is pictured holding a child, a rendition of the Pieta statue depicting Our Lady in complete nudity, and liturgical vestment stained with blood, urine, and feces.
The Christian organization “Christenschutz” condemned the exhibition as a “deliberate and tasteless affront to the sacred.” Its president, Jan Ledóchowski, remarked that such mocking portrayals would never be directed at Islam or Judaism and questioned why Christianity is treated as “fair game” for such offenses.
The TFP Student Action group noted that the timing of this blasphemous display adds insult to the injury as the display remaind open throughout Advent, Christmas and into February. The very seasons the Church contemplates the Incarnation with love and reverence.
The petition calls the President of the Künstlerhaus to withdraw exhibition out of respect of the faith that shaped Austria as a nation.
The organization stated that public blasphemy causes genuine spiritual harm. It added that since God is offended whenever His glory is denied, the faithful everywhere have a duty to respond—peacefully, firmly, and without hesitation.