My house shall be called a house of prayer but you have turned it into an advertising billboard
Vienna's Votive Church promotes "Real Magic"
A Coca Cola advertisement shows the unclothed torso of a woman from behind. The proceeds go into the renovation, but does the end still justify the means?
Is a church allowed to use its façade to make money with (secular) advertising banners? What are the ethical limits of such advertising? These questions arise again and again in the case of Vienna's Votivkirche, whose lengthy renovation is being financed, among other things, with large-format advertising banners that can be seen from afar on its front. They advertise cars, mobile phones or Coca Cola. Many see this secular use as a misuse of the sacred building. According to Deutschlandfunk, the priest in charge of the renovation, Dr. Joseph Farrugia, constantly receives angry letters and telephone calls. He then refers to the urgent need for money that the vast sums of renovation costs keep causing. It is also stipulated that advertising must not be political or sexist.
A recent banner shows the unclothed upper body of a woman drinking from a bottle of Coca Cola from behind and the words "Real Magic". This raises the question of whether the above-mentioned limits have not already been exceeded, given the image of women conveyed, but also the mention of "Magic" on a church. kath.net therefore asked the pastor where he saw the ethical limits of his advertising banners and whether he had any influence at all on the choice of subjects with the possibility of objection. The enquiry remained unanswered. In a few months, the decades-long renovation should finally be completed. It remains to be seen whether the controversial banners will then disappear with the scaffolding.
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