The Catholic Archbishop of Sydney, Antony Fisher, says the apology from The Project was insincere and he’d like to see the show’s hosts and production staff attending Easter mass to get a better understanding of Christianity.

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The archbishop said the segment which saw cabaret performer Reuben Kaye make a joke about Jesus had been a “public mockery” and used the crucifixion as a source of “ridicule and derision”.

During his Tuesday night appearance Kaye shared that he’s receives a lot of messages of social media from people who tell the camp performer he needs to accept religion in his life.

“I get a whole bunch on TikTok coming at me from a religious angle.” Kaye told the show’s panel that included Sarah Harris, Waheed Ali and Kate Langbroek.

“Which I think is hilarious because queer people, LGBTQIA+, predate any idea of God. We’re present in the animal kingdom., if you prior to the Cambrian explosion I’m sure they were two amoebas listening to Lady Gaga, doing poppers, and banging away.

“I think it’s hilarious when someone messages me and says, ‘You have to accept Jesus’s love or you will burn in hell’, because I love Jesus. I love any man who can get nailed for three days straight and come back for more.”

The joke sent Sarah Harris into fits of laughter, while Waheed Aly looked dumbfounded.

‘Worryingly, the insult not only went unchallenged, but was even endorsed with spirited laughter by members of the panel. That a ‘news and current affairs’ program would so fragrantly mock the beliefs held by more than half of all Australians is extremely upsetting and frankly incredible.” Archbishop Fisher said in a statement.

Archbishop Fisher said the apology offered the following night by hosts Waleed Aly and Sarah Harris was “forced and insincere”. The archbishop said he was concerned the show had not deleted clips of the segment from their social media accounts and had failed to post the apology online.

The church leader said that many within the media in Australia treated Christianity with contempt and the staff at The Project had shown they had little understanding of the important of Easter.

The archbishop said was inviting the panelists and the production staff of the program to attend Easter ceremonies at St Mary’s cathedral so they could develop a better understanding of why it is inappropriate to attack Christian beliefs.

Today Sydney based Facebook group Christian Lives Matter posted an image of an event they held in front of St Mary’s  Cathedral.

They claim 400 men had attended to “pray for lost souls”, but photos posted appear to show a much smaller crowd. They had originally asked for 1000 men to attend the event.

The group have been critical of World Pride celebrations being held in Sydney but deny any involvement in attacks on street art and the Uniting Chruch, who had painted their front steps with the colours of the Pride flag.

The group’s leader Charlie Bakhos has also denied organising a protest on the streets of Newtown on Friday night which saw a group of men largely clad in black hoodies reciting the rosary as they walked down King Street and Erskenville Road.

OIP Staff

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