Ah, the old “unknowing eyes” defense. The editors of America
magazine, a weekly U.S. Catholic magazine, are red in the face after running an
advertisement selling the statue shown here, of the Virgin Mary wrapped in a
condom. A London artist apparently placed the ad as a political statement; the
editors claim not to have noticed the condom. (Nor, apparently, did they closely
read the copy, which described the item as “a stunning … statue of the Virgin
Mary standing atop a serpent wearing a delicate veil of latex.”) In a statement
of apology, the editors wrote, “We were embarrassed to have readers call our
attention to the offensive advertisement that escaped our unknowing eyes and
appeared in the December 5 issue.” The magazine’s associate editor put it more
bluntly: “We’re Jesuits. I don’t think you could have found anyone in the editors’
room who has seen a condom.”
—Posted by Tim Nudd
