It is apparently legal for the Vatican to exploit the images representing Jesus Christ, the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Holy Family and saints for profit [1]; yet, the Vatican wants to prohibit the use of Bergolio's image unless it has the Holy See's prior express approval. [2] Did the Vatican ever get permission from Jesus Christ, the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Holy Family, and the many saints to use their images for profit? Unless the Vatican takes down its website [3] that sells these images and no longer maintains a gift shop on site that sells rosaries, crucifixes and other religious momentos that bear the image of anyone without his/her explicit permission, then the Vatican is itself violating shamelessly the spirit of copyright law that it claims for itself.
Quoted below is the entire February 22, 2017, Catholic News Agency article entitled Vatican to crack down on illegal sale of papal symbols, coat of arms that reported on the copyright law Bergolio seeks to enforce, with hyperlink included [4]:
On Wednesday the Vatican announced plans to monitor with a more careful eye those who print official images of the Pope or the Holy See and sell them for profit, intervening with “appropriate action” when necessary.
A Feb. 22 communique issued by the Secretariat of State said pointed out that among its various tasks, it also has “that of protecting the image of the Holy Father, so that his message can reach the faithful intact and that his person not be exploited.”
Because of this, part of the department is dedicated to protecting “the symbols and coats of arms of the Holy See” through appropriate channels on an international level.
In order to make this “protective action” more effective and to “halt situations of illegality that arise,” the department said they will begin carrying out “systematic surveillance activities apt to monitor the ways in which the image of the Holy Father and the coats of arms of the Holy See are used,” intervening with “appropriate action” if and when needed.
The announcement came just weeks after posters critical of Pope Francis appeared on the walls and buildings of the city center of Rome, depicting a sour-faced pontiff with a list of grievances regarding his recent reform efforts.
A few days after the posters appeared and quickly went down, a spoof version of the Vatican’s daily newspaper L’Osservatore Romano was sent to members of the Curia claiming the Pope had answered the five “dubia” on Amoris Laetitia sent to him by four cardinals in September, which were subsequently published.
However, the Vatican was quick to clarify that there was no link between the anti-Francis propaganda and the Secretariat of State’s decision.
In a Feb. 22 communique, the Holy See Press Office clarified that Secretariat of State’s decision to crack down on the illegal sale of papal symbols and images “does not originate from any recent news report,” but is rather aimed at protecting the image of the Holy Father and his official coat of arms “against cases of illicit use and exploitation for unauthorized profit.”
Paloma Garcia Ovejero, vice-spokesman for the Holy See, told journalists that the decision “deals with all things of value which are sold or used to earn money.”
“We’re talking about the product and the use of the image of the Pope or the Holy Father’s coat of arms or that of the Holy See which are exploited” for economic purposes, she said.
“So no posters, no Osservatore...It has nothing to do with the posters or the fake Osservatore Romano,” she said, “because they weren’t sold.”
The Secretariat of State’s crackdown is a follow-up of their 2009 decision to issue a a strict copyright of the Pope’s name, image and symbols.
In the Dec. 19, 2009, statement announcing the copyright deal, the Vatican stressed that “it alone has the right to ensure the respect due to the Successors of Peter, and therefore, to protect the figure and personal identity of the Pope from the unauthorized use of his name and/or the papal coat of arms for ends and activities which have little or nothing to do with the Catholic Church.”
“Consequently, the use of anything referring directly to the person or office of the Supreme Pontiff... and/or the use of the title 'Pontifical,' must receive previous and express authorization from the Holy See,” the statement read.
Why so petty?
Has Bergolio ever thought of the answer he would give if Christ were to ask him on Judgment Day why he sought to protect his own image but not the image of His Mother, Who is far more beautiful than any of the representations of Her on earth? Perhaps Bergolio had, and his reply could be that the images of the Blessed Virgin Mary were made to the best of man's ability and were made to glorify Her, unlike some of the published images of him which were made not to glorify but to humiliate him.
In response, Christ could say that the images published of Bergolio had been Bergolio's true image and that he has no reason to complain because those images were indeed of him; however the images made of the Blessed Virgin Mary were so inaccurate that they do not do any justice to the true image of the Blessed Mother, so much so that a dour-looking Bergolio is by far a more flattering image of Bergolio than the most beautiful image of the Blessed Mother made by man a tolerable one for Her, but then the Blessed Virgin Mary is a loving Mother and She loves all the images made of Her, however hideous they may appear, because She is not petty and all She knows is how to love and pray for sinners.
Christ could continue, and ask, "How about you, my son? Do you think you are petty? Do you know how to love? Have you loved me? Have you loved all whom I love?"
[1] http://www.vaticangift.com/
[2] http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/vatican-to-crack-down-on-illegal-sale-of-papal-symbols-coat-of-arms-15200/
[3] http://www.vaticangift.com/
[4] http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/vatican-to-crack-down-on-illegal-sale-of-papal-symbols-coat-of-arms-15200/
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