Vienna - A comic strip book of the life of Jesus that shows him surfing rather than walking on water and getting high on incense fumes has sparked a storm of protest in Catholic Austria.
Widespread outrage greeted the publication of popular caricature artist Gerhard Haderer's book The Life of Jesus just before Easter, after Austria's highest-ranking bishop and other leading Catholics spoke out against it.
The Life of Jesus does not show Christ marrying Mary Magdalene, as in US director Martin Scorsese's 1988 film, The Last Temptation of Christ, or as a bare-breasted, crucified woman, as in a 1998 book by French photographer Bettina Rheims.
In Haderer's book Jesus is at worst an amiably aimless incense-addict whose miracles are merely lucky accidents on which his money-grabbing disciples cash in - but it has been dubbed a threat to democracy by Catholic critics.
Christoph Schoenborn, archbishop of Vienna and Austria's highest-ranking bishop, asked Haderer to apologise to Christians for "ridiculing and deriding" their religion.
Religion ridiculed
"I am one of many people in this country who cannot get used to the fact that the belief on which they build their lives is constantly ridiculed and made to look absurd ... in the name of artistic freedom," he said.
"Respecting the feelings of religious groups and minorities is a fundamental part of democracy," he added.
"In a democracy and pluralistic society deepest beliefs of all religions must be respected. Artistic freedom is an important value but it must have limits," Schoenborn's spokesperson Erich Leitenberger said.
Many other bishops and representatives of the Catholic Church have joined Schoenborn's protest, including a number of Catholic schools in Vienna, which are boycotting books from Haderer's publisher Ueberreuter.
"'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and your neighbour as yourself'. Is there room for ridicule here? The persecution of the Jews began with derision as well," an anonymous reader commented on the book's website.
Artistic freedom
Vienna's public prosecutor's office is examining a number of complaints against Haderer's book, which say it "disparages religious teachings", an offence under Austrian law.
"Artistic freedom is also protected by the law. This is a question of weighing up the relative importance of these two issues," Otto Schneider, spokesperson for the office, said.
"We do not understand why he is getting so upset," said Ueberreuter spokesperson Iris Seidenstricker. "There are such things as artistic freedom and freedom of opinion."
"Cardinal Schoenborn said people have to be protected from this book, but nobody has to be protected from it. People can read the book or not read it. They are aware enough and intelligent enough to form their own opinions," she added.
"Stay cool, people, keep calm, stop being ashamed of my drawings ... and do something you relish instead," Haderer responded to the bishop's remarks.
Leading Protestant bishops in Austria have agreed with Ueberreuter.
"Nobody is forcing Christians to read this book. You cannot insult Christ, you can only be interested in him. Haderer has made efforts to find out about him, and maybe others will read the original version after this," said Lutheran Bishop Herwig Sturm.
And an anonymous commentator on the book's website concluded: "Congratulations and honest admiration to Haderer for managing to get the Catholic Church, or at least part of it, to advertise his book." - Sapa-AFP