To mark the arrival of Pope Benedict XVI in Washington next week, Washington’s Metro put together a YouTube video reminding people to take Metro to the April 17th Mass at Nationals Stadium.
Well, someone in the Archdiocese of Washington wasn’t amused:
It seemed like a great marketing campaign: a Pope Benedict XVI bobblehead riding Metro. The Church was not amused. It was the clothes.
“Our concern is that this was a bad bobblehead,” said Susan Gibbs, a spokeswoman for the Archdiocese of Washington. “You had unauthorized merchandise, and you had a misdressed pope.”
The bobblehead in the Metro video wears a red skull cap, known as a zucchetto, and a red cape. “Popes don’t wear red skull caps,” and they don’t wear red capes, only white ones, Gibbs said.
Metro yanked the YouTube video yesterday after the archdiocese complained. The video was meant to encourage people to take Metro to the papal Mass next week at Nationals Park, Metro officials said.
“We think there’s a better way to encourage people to take Metro,” Gibbs said. “This is the Holy Father, and I think a lot of people would not be comfortable with a bobblehead ad.”
Because they don’t have a sense of humor.
Of course, you can’t really “pull” something from YouTube.
It’s still there.
Personally, I don’t see what the big deal is.
April 9th, 2008 at 10:14 am
Eh, personally I don’t think it’s a very good commercial. Not because of the bobblehead or anything, that was done alright. Just, meh on the overall production.
April 9th, 2008 at 10:31 am
I’m not sure it was ever meant to be a commercial, it looks more like a YouTube-only thing.
If he weren’t traveling right now, I’d send this to my Uncle, who’s a priest in Rome. I think he’d get a laugh out of it.