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NEWS RELEASE: Paul Verhoeven’s latest movie, Benedetta, is sparking controversy. As the film hit theaters this month, moviegoers saw pushback. One Catholic group coordinated more than 1,129 protest leaders nationwide.

Benedetta by Dutch filmmaker Verhoeven is loosely based on an event that took place in a Theatine convent in Renaissance Italy. It centers on a nun, Sister Benedetta Carlini, Abbess of a convent in Pescia.

The movie, however, contains X-rated content, including:

• Nudity and immoral acts
• Blasphemy and anti-Catholic hatred
• Nuns sin with each other and even with “Christ”
• A statue of the Virgin Mary is used for immoral acts

“When someone punches your mother, you don’t just stand there. You respond in legitimate defense!” said John Ritchie with The American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property (TFP), the organization sponsoring protest rallies nationwide.

“Benedetta is a vile blasphemy against our spiritual Mother, the Holy Catholic Church, and we’re not going to sit in silence while the Faith we love is under attack,” said Ritchie. “Public blasphemy is not free speech. Nor is defamation artistic expression.”

According to the TFP, an army of 1,129 Catholic volunteers are holding peaceful protests in their respective communities against Benedetta.

“Those who want to see the blasphemous film Benedetta claim that it’s just entertainment,” said Ritchie. “But we’ve seen this attitude in history before. When the Roman emperors fed Christians to the lions, they called it entertainment too.”

"As most Americans prepare to celebrate Christmas, theaters will be pumping Verhoeven’s pornographic filth onto the big screen. It’s a dirty film, made by a dirty mind, consumed by a dirty culture,” Ritchie said. “Not only does Benedetta offend Our Lord Jesus Christ – the reason for the Christmas season – but the film also wounds all Catholics who honor the Virgin Mary as their mother, especially during the holy season of Christmas.”

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