POS hit for virgin' on the offensive

Furious Church leaders have hit out at Virgin Our Price's Virgin Mary instore Christmas merchandising, calling it an abuse of a religious symbol.

Cardboard effigies of Christ's mother clad in a skinny-rib T-shirt bearing the Virgin logo across her breasts have been rolled out across the chain.

In games departments the POS carries the slogan: "All you need is ... CD-ROM" with the Virgin Mary brandishing a joystick in her right hand.

But the Catholic Church in Scotland is writing to the Advertising Standards Authority asking for the merchandising to be removed. A leading churchman in Scotland branded the campaign "an abuse of a religious symbol for purely financial gain."

In Ireland, Catholic pressure group Family Solitary called on all shop-goers to boycott Virgin Stores. "Any misuse of religious symbolism is offensive," said a spokesman.

Simon Dornan, local marketing and PR manager for Virgin Our Price last week leapt to defend the chain's merchandising. "It's a contemporary depiction of the Virgin Mary and is entirely respectful. We're reminding people of what Christmas is really about," he said.

The chain is offering u25 worth of vouchers for every u25 spent instore, with u5 off all CD-ROM product.