Disgust and protests have been expressed in Lithuania following the appearance of advertisements for a local beer showing the figure of Christ with headphones for listening to music. The advertisement urges customers to buy the beer and win musical discs as prizes. The Lithuanian bishops have protested against this advertising campaign on TV since, they say, “many faithful were shocked and offended by the fact that the image of the Saviour, with the crown of thorns on his head, has been used to advertise a beer”. In a communiqué the president of the Bishops’ Conference, Archbishop Sigitas Tamkevicius declared that “the use of Catholic symbols for commercial purposes and more particularly to advertise an alcoholic drink is utterly inadmissible and unjustified”. Some 80% of the population in the country declare themselves Catholics.
