Lay Catholic groups are considering filing charges against the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) in Pasay City over what they called a “sacrilegious and blasphemous" art exhibit. Pro-Life Philippines sent a letter to the CCP and the artists who claimed to be from the University of Santo Tomas (UST) and demanded that the exhibit “Kulo" be stopped by Thursday. “By Thursday afternoon, we will file a case if they do not stop the exhibit and if they do not also make amends because stopping is not enough. The damage has been done," Eric Manalang, president of Pro-life Philippines, said in an article posted on the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines news site on Tuesday. GMA News Online has tried but was unable to reach the CCP and the UST for comment as of posting time. Controversial exhibit The exhibit “Kulo" will run from July 17 to August 21. Lay groups said the exhibit mocks the Catholic religion because the “controversial" collage “Poleteismo" done by UST-trained artist Medio Cruz illustrates:
- A religious image of Jesus Christ. Attached to the religious image is a wooden replica of the male genital protruding toward His face. The male genital replica is draped with the Rosary, hanging by the base and top of the replica. To a crucifix is attached a red male organ.
- A similar religious image of Christ, where His eyes are darkened by black ink which appears to flow out from the eyes.
- A crucifix and cross draped with a pink, stretched-out condom.
- Various religious images and pictures of Christ, Mary the Mother of Christ, Holy Family, saints, and the rosary — all closely surrounded and placed beside pictures of women who appear to be modeling for underwear or a skin product.
- A picture of Christ’s disciples surrounding a dark silhouette of Christ in the middle. Right above the facial portion of the dark silhouette of Jesus Christ is a drawing resembling the icon of Disney’s Mickey Mouse.
- A religious statue of Christ seated. Attached to the tip of His nose is a red ball. Above His head is an imposed pair of red ears the same as Mickey Mouse icon.
Violation of Art. 201 of RPC Lawyer Jo Imbong, executive director of the St. Thomas More Society (STMS), an association of Catholic lawyers, said the organizers are liable for violating Revised Penal Code’s (RPC) Article 201 on immoral doctrines, obscene publications, and indecent shows.
“May kaparusahan ‘yung mga gumagawa ng public exhibit na ang laman ng exhibit ay mga bagay na insulto sa relihiyon… May liability kasi you are offending the religious belief of a country [with] 85 percent Christians," Imbong said in a press statement on Tuesday. Also, in a five-page letter addressed to CCP president Raul Sunico, STMS asked for the closure of the art gallery, or “we shall be constrained to pursue all forms of judicial relief to restrain the further exhibition of these works." Imbong warned the Sunico that the CCP executives would be responsible for what the group described as a sickening piece of artwork.
Violation of CCP mandate Imbong said public display of the collage is in violation of the mandate of the CCP, the country’s premier institution for culture and the arts. The CCP is a public agency so “the exhibition and hosting of an exhibit hostile to the very mandate of that agency — on public property and by a public agency — is an abuse of public authority and a breach of public trust," she stressed. “It does no public service except to subvert the common good, appealing as it does to the baser instinct rather than to higher and more edifying dispositions of the human person," she added.
Ashamed of UST Meanwhile, retired Archbishop Oscar Cruz said he was furious and could not believe what he had seen in the gallery. “Usually, I am rather detached and objective in my perception of realties,
pero ‘nung nakita ko iyon, frankly, I am filled with anger and disgust," he said. “There must be something in the [artists’] mind… I felt I was violated
kapag nasabi nila na freedom of expression. Eh, kung gawin ko ‘yun sa mukha nila... freedom of expression ba ‘yun?" Cruz added. Cruz also pointed out that he was ashamed of UST, his alma mater, for allowing the artists to show it to the public.
“Nakalagay doon: ‘It’s a gathering of artists of UST… I am a UST product. A Dominican product from head to foot. If these are the kind of artists [of] the so-called Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, then I renounced my alma mater," the archbishop said. Reynaldo Pacheco, founder of Church-based political party Ang Kapatiran said he is disassociating himself from his alma mater, “until the university do something on the issue."
“Ako ay taga-UST, from third to fourth year high school. Law graduate din ako dun. Kinakahiya ko ang aking alma mater. I feel so bad about it. Hindi ko matanggap na ‘yung pananampalataya ay yurakan," he said.
— JE/VVP, GMA News 
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