In the June Catalyst, we reported that a catalog called the Lighter Side was selling a T-shirt that displayed the Last Supper in a way we found offensive. The good news is that it will no longer be sold.
The league complained about the T-shirt because it featured Christ standing with his arms stretched looking at the apostles saying, “Separate checks, please.” We admitted that it was not vulgar, but we still objected to the depiction because it made light of a serious event. Our complaint did not go unheeded.
In a letter to the Catholic League, the vice president of the Johnson Smith Company (producer of the catalog) had this to say: “Upon its first appearance in our catalog several months ago, we received many letters from our customers requesting its removal. We quickly acted to honor their and your request and removed it from the next catalog even though the T-shirt was an excellent seller.”
Vice President Ralph W. Hoenle also said that “it has never been the intent of our company to offend anyone or disparage any religious denomination.” He closed his letter saying that “we rely on our customers to tell us when we have made a bad choice.”
Once again, it is a tribute to the members of the Catholic League that they followed through on their complaint and let the company know how they felt. We are happy about the outcome.
