The Holy See said it wanted the offensive image removed from magazines, newspapers, websites and Benetton shops around the world, saying it was in extremely poor taste.
The image shows the Pope kissing the lips of Ahmed el Tayyeb, the imam of the Al-Azhar Mosque in Cairo and a leading authority of Sunni Islam.
A statement from the Vatican said it would instruct its lawyers “to take action in Italy and abroad to prevent the circulation in the mass-media and elsewhere of the photo montage produced as part of Benetton’s publicity campaign.”
The image was insulting “not only to the dignity of the Pope but also to the sensibilities of the faithful”, the Vatican said.
The legal threat came despite the fact that Benetton, which is based in Treviso in northern Italy, announced that it would withdraw the image following the furore. » | Nick Squires, Rome | Thursday, November 17, 2011
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