The airline Ryanair said the Catholic Press and Information Office should "forget the stuffiness" after its advertisement on the secret of Fatima was criticised yesterday.
The advertisement, which appeared on the front page of yesterday's Irish Independent, reads, "Pope reveals fourth secret of Fatima" and shows the Pope whispering to a nun: "Psst! Only Ryanair.com guarantees the lowest fare on the Internet."
A spokeswoman for the airline said the response from passengers was positive and it had received supportive phone calls about the advertisement. "This is light-hearted and fun and 99 per cent of people have taken it that way," she said.
She said if the Catholic Church wished to attract young people it should adopt a more light-hearted policy. She argued that the third secret of Fatima was topical, was of popular interest and that the Ryanair website, referred to in the advertisement, was also of interest to people. Ryanair set out to have refreshing and topical advertising, she added.
The Catholic Press and Information Office said the Pope was not a fit subject for a commercial airline advertisement. "It is surprising that a reputable airline couldn't have found a more appropriate way of reaching the public than the use of advertising copy linking the Pope and a facetious reference to Fatima," a statement said. It added the advertisement was "pointless and without any particular focus".