The Play ‘AGNES OF GOD’ to be staged in Mumbai has created a furore amongst some Christians. In this connection, we are issuing the following Statement:
1. There are serious reservations with regard to the promotional bill board advertisements and other ad-campaigns of the play. They distort Catholic religious concepts such as the Immaculate Conception and Virgin Birth and hence tend to ridicule tenets of our faith – without understanding their meaning.
2. The screaming headlines and life-size cut outs of religious sisters seem to portray them as characters lacking in integrity and guilty of cover-up of infanticide. Such a depiction will lower the esteem for nuns in the eyes of children to whom nuns impart knowledge and human values. This is totally unfair to our very many Religious Sisters who are working selflessly with dedication and generosity. We deplore this.
3. The claim that the plot is based on a true story does not absolve the producers from their duty of being vigilant not to create a generalized caricature of respected religious persons. This would be a great disservice to society. We strongly protest against this.
4. While the Catholic Church upholds a broadminded openness towards literature and art, and hence does not clamour for bans of literary and artistic works, she cannot but underline the responsibility of the media to be sensitive to the religious sentiments of people, whatever be their religious affiliation. Hence, the corresponding duty of the media to be always responsible and consider all implications. This the media owes to Society!
September 29, 2015
Press Office
Archdiocese of Bombay