Why would the Pope endorse child pornography and yet ban advertising that makes a little fun of the notion that we should love our fellow man? Is it because of those rumours in Rome and Andrew Sullivan's wink that the Pope is a homosexual? He does rather look like he's having a jolly time when the all male acrobat troop came to the Vatican, stripped and ripped doesn't he?
In a way Benetton were doing the more intelligent side of ad agency Crispin Porter Bogusky before they even existed. It's no surprise that the top down hierarchical control psychopaths of the Vatican and pretty much every government and right wing paper absolutely hate this advertising. They pretend they seek peace and reconciliation but it's alien to their psychology and so they hate us humans for laughing and having strong feelings about peace and love. Beware those who don't hug, laugh or love art and even sometimes cry. Think about that.
Currently there are over 1000 international press stories. That's what I call an idea.