Pope hangs image of nude Jesus caressing Judas behind his desk

‘One of the most blasphemous and ungodly images’

A report by the Vatican’s own newspaper reveals Pope Francis recently hung an image behind his desk depicting a naked Jesus Christ caressing his dead apostle Judas Iscariot.

In an article titled “Judas and the Scandal of Mercy,” L’Osservatore Romano dedicated the first three pages of its edition the day before Good Friday to a makeover of the disciple who betrayed the Son of God at the Passover.

The author of the lead editorial, Andrea Monda, said the paper chose this year to honor the “most tragic and unsettling” figure of the Gospel.

The Catholic-defense group Tradition in Action was among the first to blast the display, writing:

The editor – probably obeying an order of Pope Francis – chose to post on its front page the reproduction of a picture, above and below first row, that presents a naked Jesus bending over and tenderly ministering to a dead Judas.

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