A POLISH firm that makes
coffins has angered the Catholic church by trying to drum up business with a
calendar depicting topless models posing next to its caskets.
One image from the 2013
edition of the calendar has a blonde model, wearing only a skimpy thong and
with a snake draped around her neck, reclining on a coffin. In another, a woman
wearing a crimson corset is depicted pulling out the heart of a man lying on a
casket.
"My son had the idea of
creating the company's calendar... so that we could show something
half-serious, colourful, beautiful; the beauty of Polish girls and the beauty
of our coffins," said Zbigniew Lindner, the firm's owner.
"We wanted to show that
a coffin isn't a religious symbol. Its a product," he said. "Why are
people afraid of coffins and not of business suits, cosmetics or
jewellery?"
As well as attracting
publicity for his firm, the calendar is intended as a source of revenue. It is
on sale on the company's website. Anyone who places an order receives a
complementary key ring in the shape of a coffin.
The Catholic church has
condemned the calendar as inappropriate. A church spokesman has said that human
death should be treated with solemnity and not mixed up with sex.
The church and its teachings
have been at the heart of Polish life for generations, but changes in society
are challenging the faith. While 93% of Poles say they are Catholic, the
proportion who attend church regularly is falling. Many people are starting to
confront long-standing taboos about sexuality and religion. (Reuters)
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