'This was a mistake': Porsche apologizes for removing statue of Jesus Christ from 911 anniversary ad
Porsche says a landmark statue of Jesus Christ was mistakenly removed from a new ad marking the 60th anniversary of its classic 911 model.
The ad released this week celebrated the luxury sports carmaker’s 911 S/T with a two-and-a-half minute ad showing both vintage and contemporary models of Porsche’s signature car driving across various seaside and urban landscapes.
Around 43 seconds into the ad, a shot of red 911 streaking past the River Tagus in Lisbon, Portugal, captures the famous Christ the King (Cristo Rei) landmark in the background.
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But earlier this month, some on social media noticed a version of the ad which removed the statue from the ad’s background.
One X user asked: “Hey, @Porsche, why did you erase the statue of Jesus Christ from your video filmed in Lisbon?”
Hey, @Porsche , why did you erase the statue of Jesus Christ from your video filmed in Lisbon? pic.twitter.com/VxcfUBrN8D
— Alex B. (@maisumcarneiro) August 5, 2023
A day later, the same user shared the original video, which clearly shows the statue removed around the :43 mark.
Several other X users chimed in and wondered whether Porsche, like so many other brands in recent months, had suddenly "gone woke."
"Looks like Porsche doesn't want Christians buying their cars," one person tweeted.
Looks like Porsche doesn’t want Christians buying their cars. https://t.co/te7AvUqTFc
— Keith Ainsworth (@AinsworthKeith) August 7, 2023
Another user wrote: "Well, guess if Porsche can edit Jesus out of their video 'celebrating' 60-years — we can all edit them out of our memories. Apparently, Porsche doesn't care about Christians."
Well, guess if Porsche can edit Jesus out of their video "celebrating" 60-years - we can all edit them out of our memories. Apparently, Porsche doesn't care about Christians. https://t.co/DbsvP3Cq8S
— Morgana Le Faye *Patriot *America 1st* ???????? (@Keltic_Witch) August 7, 2023
Another user tweeted: "The lack of self-awareness, a company born in Europe with its Judeo-Christian roots and values, pretending to hold dear its origins while erasing one of its most important symbols. Even I as an atheist find this to be disconcerting."
1:57 "Never forget where you come from"
— stemel (@stemel) August 6, 2023
The lack of self-awareness, a company born in Europe with its Judeo-Christian roots and values, pretending to hold dear its origins while erasing one of its most important symbols.
Even I as an atheist find this to be disconcerting. pic.twitter.com/3HLTCHK0em
In response to the backlash, Porsche posted a comment on its YouTube page apologizing “for any offense caused” by the removal of the Christ statue: “A message to our community: in a previously-uploaded version of the 911 S/T launch film, a landmark was removed. This was a mistake, and we apologize for any offense caused. Your comments on this video were appreciated.”
The carmaker did not offer any additional information as to why the statue was removed.
Considered the largest statue in Portugal, Christ the King, which depicts Jesus with outstretched arms, reaches 270 feet in height and can be seen from most areas in Lisbon and beyond.
The statue — inspired by Brazil’s own landmark, Christ the Redeemer — dates back to the 1950s, when it was erected with the blessing of Portuguese Catholic bishops following World War II.
The ad’s omission of the statue of Christ becomes even more unusual in light of the fact that the Portuguese capital of Lisbon is home to a number of historic churches and a cathedral that dates to the Moorish occupation of the Iberian Peninsula.
Long a center of power for the Catholic Church, an independent report released in February on the Portuguese Catholic Church found that priests and others have been suspected of sexually abusing 4,812 children within the church since 1950.
Pope Francis issued an apostolic letter in 2019 requiring clergy to report abuse, changing an earlier standard that allowed Catholic church officials their own discretion on the matter.
