We must be careful in how we protest
A modest stage play performed at a Johannesburg theatre this month attracted the protests of some local Catholics who believed it to be “blasphemous”. The play, titled The Testament of Mary and staged at the Joburg Theatre from September 25 to October 6, is based on a novel by the Irish writer Colm Tóibín.
“By calling for a sanction, the petition asserts a right we Catholics do not have — protection from putative disrespect to our faith—over rights that do exist and are protected.” (CNS photo/Amr Abdallah Dalsh, Reuters)
It is easy to see why Catholics would feel sensitive about the subject matter, of both the play and the novel it is based on. In both, the fictional Mary is neither a virgin, nor does she believe in her Son’s divinity.
A petition which circulated in protest of the play charged that “in this play Our Lady is depicted as a vulgar, egoistic and even idolatrous woman who smokes, drinks and eventually disrobes completely. Her character denies that Jesus is the Son of God, doubts that he could have performed miracles, and states that Jesus only rose from the dead in the dreams of his followers”.
Responding to similar protests in the United States, the play’s producers said: “The Testament of Mary explores, in a very serious way, something that matters deeply to all of us. It is neither anti-Mary nor anti-Christianity, but rather a portrait of a very human woman — a mother — who is trying to make sense of and come to terms with the tragic death of her son.”
Reaction to such a play is certain to be subjective. For most Catholics, a play of this nature is unattractive, and to many even objectionable, whether or not it actually mocks the Blessed Virgin.
Such Catholics will not be persuaded by Mr Tóibín’s reassurance that the Mary of his fiction is not intended to mock her, but is a serious exploration of “an icon”.
Consequently, most Catholics will have had no interest in buying a ticket to see The Testament of Mary, even as others might have seen some theological interest in the play.
The petition went further than discouraging Catholics from seeing the play, however. Its stated aim was to “bring an end to this performance” by applying public pressure on the Joburg Theatre.
It is perfectly legitimate to express our concern when art is perceived to be critical of what we hold sacred, and to encourage Catholics not to view such art. However, putting pressure on a theatre to cancel a play — especially when notions of sacrilege are subjective — intrudes on the freedoms of artistic expression and of religious belief.
By calling for a sanction, the petition asserts a right we Catholics do not have — protection from putative disrespect to our faith—over rights that do exist and are protected.
Arguably, if the play was staged in a public space where Catholics might encounter it arbitrarily, then a legitimate call could be made to protect them from exposure to potentially offensive material.
So, for example, if a magazine publishes an image that demeans what is sacred to Catholics, as the editors of the DStv magazine did some years back, then Catholics are entitled to protest vigorously.
In the case of a theatre play, however, those who might take offence have the option not to see it. There is little risk of inadvertent exposure to it.
Petitions such as that which called for The Testament of Mary to be cancelled are in sentiment not vastly different to the efforts by secularists to remove religious symbols from public life. Both seek to assert a particular view on others who do not share it.
There is also merit in examining whether such petitions succeed in presenting the Catholic Church as an outward-looking faith, as Pope Francis has called for.
The Holy Father has asked us to engage with the world, even when it is nasty, and instead of fighting it rather to convey the beauty of our faith and the joy of meeting Christ.
Insistent petitions, even if they are rooted in good intentions, will not accomplish that, because they might make our Church seem defensive, suspicious, hostile and inward-looking.
There is no need for Catholics to feel threatened by artistic licence; our Church has withstood much worse.
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