Pregnant nun image sparks outrage
An ice cream advertisement featuring a pregnant nun has been banned in the UK, media reports say.
The Italian ice cream brand Antonio Federici launched the magazine campaign with the attached tagline text: "Immaculately conceived ... Ice cream is our religion."
According to the British Advertising Standards Authority it reportedly received 10 complaints from magazine readers who said the ad was offensive to Christians, especially those who practice Catholicism.
"We concluded that to use such an image in a light hearted way to advertise ice-cream was likely to cause serious offence to readers, particularly those who practised the Roman Catholic faith." an official statement from the ASA says.
A UK advertising watchdog says the imagery used to illustrate Immaculate Conception was likely to be seen as mocking Catholic beliefs.
The Italian company said the ad, featuring in The Lady and Grazia magazines, aimed to gently satirise religion and that the notion of conception represented the creation of their ice cream product.
