Italian Catholic Diocese displays crucifixion painting with gay subtext

The Italian Catholic Diocese of Carpi has exhibited a painting in one of its churches that has sparked outrage among believers due to its gay subtext.

The painting, titled INRI (San Longino) by artist Andrea Saltini, is part of the Gratia Plena exhibition located in the diocesan church of Carpi.

Andrea Saltini depicted the body of a man lying on the ground with wounds on his hands and feet, with a plaque inscribed with INRI nearby. The man's genital area is covered by the head of another man.

According to the artist and the diocesan leadership, this painting features Christ after the crucifixion and the Roman centurion Longinus. However, the faithful consider it a blasphemous image that has no place in a church.

The announcement of the exhibition's opening can still be found on the diocese's website.

The exhibition, consisting of approximately 20 images, showcases Saltini's personal search for spirituality and invites visitors to "an experience of deep contemplation and confrontation," according to the diocese's announcement.

Among the paintings, one can see a series of blasphemous images, such as an almost naked man sitting on a woman's hands. The painting is titled "Noli Me Tangere", referring to Christ's words to Mary Magdalene, "Do not touch Me".

Another painting refers to Caravaggio's depiction of the Deposition of Christ from the Cross. In Saltini's interpretation, it appears as gay propaganda: a man held by several naked and semi-naked people, wearing a tight gay pride bodysuit and with hair dyed white.

Previously, the UOJ reported that a diocesan church in the USA conducted a shamanic ritual at the beginning of a mass.