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Religious group goes ape over chocolate Jesus

"For me, this is done a place of reverence and meditation -- that's why I chose the piece. This is not intended to be disrespectful."

Matt Semmler, director of the Lab Gallery

At 1.8m and weighing more than 90kg, the sculpture of Jesus Christ to be unveiled in Manhattan during Holy Week was bound to make an impact.

Add to that the fact that it is made purely of milk chocolate, and that the figure's genitalia are on full display and you have the ingredients of a religious spat.

The Catholic League, an organization of religious conservatives with 300,000 members, has boycotted the hotel in which the artwork, My Sweet Lord, will go on display.

The group has called on 500 other religious groups -- including Protestant, Jewish, Muslim and Buddhist with a combined reach of millions -- to shun the Roger Smith hotel.

Sculptor Cosimo Cavallaro, 45, is known for his large-scale installations. In 1999 he covered the interior of Room 114 of the Washington Jefferson hotel in New York with cheddar cheese.

Two years later, Cavallaro sprayed 4,536kg of cheese over the entire interior of a suburban house in Wyoming.

Bill Donahue, president of the Catholic League, said it was as a classic case of non-believers attempting to sow seeds of doubt about Jesus during Christianity's holiest week.

He said it was a "direct in-your-face assault on Christians."

"All those involved are lucky that angry Christians don't react the way extremist Muslims do when they're offended. The only thing that those who operate the Roger Smith hotel understand is when they get hit in the pocket book. So that's exactly where we'll hit them -- the boycott is on," he said.

Matt Semmler, director of the Lab Gallery in the hotel, insisted that its artistic direction was separate from the hotel's management. He also denied any intention to offend.

"For me, this is done a place of reverence and meditation -- that's why I chose the piece. This is not intended to be disrespectful," he said, adding that over the centuries there had been thousands of depictions of Christ in all sorts of styles.

His protestations will not satisfy the Catholic League, whose supporters will be present when the curtain is drawn back today. The work will be seen for one hour every day -- and from midnight until 1am on Easter Sunday.
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