A prominent conservative Catholic advocacy group is calling on Apple TV+ to take down an episode of one of its shows that includes what it considers to be a “mean-spirited effort to mock Catholicism.”
CatholicVote Vice President Josh Mercer sent a letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook and several individuals involved in the production of the Apple TV+ show “Your Friends and Neighbors” urging the removal from the Apple TV+ library of what it describes as a “blasphemous episode.”
The letter highlights the sixth episode of the series, which Mercer says “depicts two characters breaking into a Catholic Church.”
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“The male character steals Eucharistic hosts from the tabernacle, which they eat as a snack,” Mercer wrote. “The man flippantly remarks about how they are eating the body of Christ. The man feeds a host to the female character and feigns blessing her. Then they begin engaging in romantic activity in the pews before the pastor walks in and they flee the church.”
Mercer denounced the “sacrilegious scene,” saying it “seems to bear little resemblance to the plot” and is “even more disheartening at a time when Catholics are in a celebratory and hopeful frame of mind after the recent election of the new pope.”
CatholicVote also launched an online petition drive against the episode, which claims to have amassed over 300,000 supporters.
The Christian Post has contacted Apple for comment on the letter. A response is pending.
According to the Internet Movie Database, the episode is titled “The Things You Lost Along the Way” and aired on May 9, one day after the election of Pope Leo XIV as the 267th Supreme Pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church.
The plot summary for the series highlights, “A hedge fund manager resorts to burglary after losing his job, targeting wealthy neighbors to maintain his family’s lifestyle, but makes a fateful error breaking into the wrong home.”
“We speak on behalf of millions of Catholics across the country and the world when we say we are shocked and outraged that Apple — one of the world’s largest companies and an American icon — would promulgate such disrespect for the world’s largest religion on a show bearing the imprimatur, ‘An Apple Original,'” Mercer added.
The letter highlighted how “Apple claims diversity and inclusion as core values,” citing its mission statement declaring, “At Apple, we create a culture of collaboration where different experiences, backgrounds, and perspectives come together to make something magical and meaningful.” The mission statement characterizes Apple’s culture as “a culture with a North Star of dignity, respect, and opportunity for everyone.”
“Is promoting content which mocks and degrades the faith of Catholics compatible with this “culture of dignity, respect, and opportunity for everyone?” Mercer asked. “Would you permit an equivalent mockery of the Islamic faith or the Jewish faith? We think not. Why is it acceptable to Apple to disrespect Catholicism in this way?”
The letter reminded Cook that he wrote an op-ed in 2015 stating, “I have great reverence for religious freedom” before requesting that he “remove this blasphemous episode from Apple TV+.” He also requested a meeting with Cook “to discuss how Apple can foster true diversity and tolerance by ensuring its content is respectful of the religious practices of Catholics.”
Ryan Foley is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: ryan.foley@christianpost.com
