Consecrated Host Imitation Attached to Issue of Belgian Magazine

Case information
Incident date
Country
Belgium
Categories
  • Social Hostility / Intolerance
Attack Against
  • Faith
Societal Sphere
  • Media
Hate Crime & Violent Incidents
  • Intolerance towards Religious Symbols
Religious Freedom / Discrimination
  • Defamation

Belgian magazine attached altar host imitations to May issue. Cover shows nun in sexy lace blouse saying “Holy shit!”

May 2009: The Belgian magazine “Goedele” attached three altar host imitations with the note: “Take, eat. This is my body.” to their May issue. The cover showed its publisher and namegiver Goedele Liekens in a nun’s habit and sexy lace blouse above the headline “Holy shit!”
Hans Geybels, the spokesperson of Belgian Cardinal Godfried Danneels, expressed indignation: “Such use of the host goes too far. It should be remembered the consecrated host is a very significant Catholic symbol. Moreover, the words of Christ were misused. We ask journalists to show some respect towards our Catholic belief.”
Please view the magazine’s cover on this website:
http://www.goedelemagazine.be/index.php/2009/05/06/goedele-9-nu-in-de-winkel-2/