NEWS & VIEWS
from a CATHOLIC perspective

      SYDNEY, Australia (CWNews.com) - A controversial beer advertisement has caused Catholic clergy to warn of a boycott to protest the mocking of the Sacrament of Confession.

      A spokesman for Cardinal Edward Clancy of Sydney said many Catholics may exercise their consumer choices when deciding whether to buy Tooheys New Brand beer. The controversial television advertisement depicts a young man entering a confessional, confessing a sexual sin, and receiving the names of three women who had confessed to extramarital sex from the priest. The commercial ends with the man going to a pub with his friends and ordering a round of beer as he seeks out the women.

      Representatives of brewer Lion Nathan said the advertisement had been cleared by the advertising standards board and that sales of the beer had risen. "There's already been a response (to the advertisement)," said Father Brian Lucas, a spokesman for Cardinal Clancy. "Many people are now exercising their choices (against Tooheys) when it comes to the brand of beer they purchase."

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