A television advert in which Italian nuns are offered crisps instead of communion wafers has provoked the ire of conservative Catholics.
They are demanding that the advert for Amica Chips be withdrawn immediately because it is blasphemous.
In the 30-second advertisement, a group of young nuns are seen filing through a cloister into a chapel. Their mother superior finds there are no communion wafers, left so fills up a chalice with crisps.
As the novices line up in front of a bespectacled priest, they are surprised to be given crisps instead of the holy sacrament, with the lead nun opening her eyes wide in astonishment as the salty snack crunches in her mouth.
The camera then pans back to the mother superior who is enthusiastically digging into a large bag of crisps.
An association of Catholic television viewers said the advert, shown on Italian TV channels and social media, “offends the sensibility of millions of practising Catholics”.
Giovanni Baggio, the president of the association, called for “the immediate suspension” of the “blasphemous” advert, adding that it showed a “lack of respect”.
Avvenire, a newspaper owned by the Italian Bishops Conference, also said it was offended. “Christ reduced to a crisp. Debased and vilified as he was 2,000 years ago. Amica Chips has once again chosen provocation as a means of communication,” it said in an editorial.
The snack company was “spitting” on the memory of Christ, “just as the Roman soldiers did to him before his crucifixion”.
The agency behind the commercial, Lorenzo Marini Group, said it had intended to strike “a strong British-style note of irony” with an advert that was “aimed at a young target audience”.
The head of the group, Lorenzo Marini, conceded that the commercial was “irreverent” but said it was not intended to be offensive.
Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.