The Catholic League reacted with revulsion to Sinead O’Connor’s foul-mouthed portrayal of the Virgin Mary in Neil Jordan’s movie, “The Butcher Boy.” In one of a series of appearances to the film’s main character, a young boy named Francie, Sinead’s Mary gratuitously throws in the F-word while counseling him about the loss of his best friend.
Rick Hinshaw viewed the movie and commented that “There is absolutely no context in which it would be appropriate to depict the Mother of Christ uttering such an obscenity.” He compared the movie to the “Jerry Springer syndrome, in which any vulgarity, obscenity, or offensive remark is seen not only acceptable, but desirable—a cheap substitute for real creative talent.”
The reviewers, of course, loved the film. As for Neil Jordan, he commented that his portrayal of Our Blessed Mother is “the way the Virgin Mary has existed throughout the ages, ever since she was invented.” Both he and Sinead O’Connor know something about inventions—they’ve made their living by inventing ways to offend Catholics.
