An advertisement for Paddy Power bookmakers depicting Christ and the apostles gambling at the Last Supper has led to a number of complaints to the Advertising Standards Authority for Ireland.
Yesterday Frank Goodman, chief executive of the ASAI, confirmed that since Monday, it had received 15 written complaints and "a number of phone calls, some of whom indicated that they will complain in writing" in relation to the billboard campaign. He also said "our procedure is that we have raised it with the agency involved, and we await their response".
Bearing resemblance to Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper, the advert leads with the caption "There's a place for fun and games". Underneath this headline is depicted Christ with gambling chips stacked in front of him, and to his left and right, are the apostles playing cards and other forms of gaming.
The advertising campaign, which is being handled by the Cawleynea agency, began this week and is due to run for a fortnight.
The other advert in the campaign depicts doctors in a maternity hospital gaming while a baby is being born.
Some 89 locations within the greater Dublin area have been hired for the two ads.
Ironically, one of the ads depicting Christ is on Bride Street, by the side of the former Episcopal palace of St Sepulchre, now Kevin Street Garda station, but formerly home to the archbishops of Dublin from the 12th century to the 19th century.
Speaking yesterday, the Archbishop of Dublin, Dr John Neill, said "I feel this advert would be offensive to most Christian people".
Describing it as "deeply offensive", the information officer for the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, Stephen Lynas, said "sadly, advertising of this type, using Christ images in an offensive manner, is now a regularly used strategy that raises the profile of an ad campaign that otherwise would not have received so much attention."
A spokesperson for Dr Diarmuid Martin, the Archbishop of Dublin, declined to comment.
Defending the advert as "tongue in cheek", Paddy Power, head of communications with Paddy Power.Com, said the intention of the campaign was to depict "the most inappropriate place ever for fun and games", and "people might be taking it a bit too seriously". He conceded that Paddy Power had already received complaints.