Benetton, Vatican Settle Dispute Over Kissing Pope Ad
Photo courtesy of Benetton
President Obama and Hugo Chávez for Benetton's UNHATE campaign.
Benetton might want to think twice before using the Pope's image in any future campaigns.
Having been threatened with legal action from the Vatican in response to a controversial Photoshopped image showing a smooch between Pope Benedict XVI and imam Ahmed Mohamed el-Tayeb for its UNHATE campaign, the retailer has made amends by making a donation to a Catholic charity, Reuters reports.
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In addition to undisclosed financial arrangement, Benetton has agreed to not use the pope's image without consent. It has also pledged to not circulate and to block the spread of the doctored UNHATE images, which also feature "kisses" between world leaders like President Obama and Hugo Chávez of Venezuela.
After the Vatican initially blasted the ad as "damaging not only to the dignity of the Pope and the Catholic Church but also to the feelings of believers," spokesman Father Federico Lombardi called the settlement a "moral victory."
Talk about a costly kiss!
