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Benetton Already Cut One of Their New Kissing Ads

Courtesy of Benetton
Courtesy of Benetton

Less than a day after debuting their “Unhate” campaign, Benetton has already removed one ad from circulation. Predictably, a lot of people were unhappy with an image of Pope Benedict XVI enthusiastically kissing prominent Muslim imam Ahmed Mohamed el-Tayeb — the Vatican even threatened to sue. In response to the controversy, Benetton issued the following statement: “We are sorry that the use of the image of the pope and the imam has so offended the sentiments of the faithful … we have decided, with immediate effect, to withdraw this image from every publication.”

Related: Benetton Imagines a World Where Berlusconi Is Hot for Merkel

Benetton Cut One of Their New Kissing Ads