Christians could only recoil in horror after seeing a beauty pageant in Brazil turned into a blasphemous travesty and mockery of God.
In an act that was roundly denounced, the organisers of the Miss Bumbum beauty pageant in Brazil had eight of the bikini-clad contestants recreate the scene of the iconic Leonardo Da Vinci painting of "The Last Supper" on Sunday—with the woman having the "sexiest" bottom playing the part of Jesus, the Daily Mail reported.
The publication of the picture immediately drew rebuke from the church, the government and, surprisingly, the contestants themselves who felt they were used by the organisers for financial gain.
Religious leaders wasted no time in calling the act "deeply disrespectful."
Brazil's religious intolerance commission said the picture was evidence "that intolerance is not just confined to African religions."
Daiana Fegueredo, the contestant chosen to play Jesus, was beside herself with remorse, saying she had "asked forgiveness from God for a great sin."
She said she was forced to do the act but now deeply regrets her participation.
"I did the photo because of my contract. But I didn't like it and I wasn't happy about it. You can't play around with the word of God," she said.
"I completely understand people being angry about it, because even I am angry and I'm in it. For me it is blasphemy," she added.
She said as a practicing Catholic, she felt "really bad deep inside of me," adding that she "can't sleep and I don't stop thinking about it."
Another contestant, Danny Morais, also expressed deep remorse for what she had done. "God knows my heart and knows I wasn't being bad. I think we can be controversial in other ways, but not using God's name, not using a biblical story," she said.
Fr. Clesio Vieira, a priest from Rio de Janeiro, said the photo caused "great offence" to Catholics.
"It has broken the boundaries of ethics and respect, all in the name of money. This isn't creativity; it's the vulgarisation of the sacred and is deeply disrespectful."
Cacau Oliver, the founder of the Miss Bumbum competition, tried to placate critics, claiming that the photo was "not offensive to the church" and never meant to shock anyone.
Miss Bumbum is one of Brazil's most hotly-disputed beauty contests. The winners of the pageant, which is on its sixth year, usually become overnight celebrities who would later earn millions in modelling contracts and endorsements.
After a public vote, the 27 contestants in the contest, each representing a Brazilian state, are pruned down to 15 who then contest for the crown in a live final on Nov. 9.
