Facebook Apologizes For Outrageous Reason They Blocked Catholic University’s Ad Of Jesus On The Cross

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Facebook is known for randomly tagging pictures and memes as being against their ‘community standards,’ and as someone who has a large Facebook page I can attest to the fact that at times there is no rhyme or reason behind what pictures they deem offensive, it might just be that the employee who is reviewing it does not like it.

It came as a shock to many when they rejected an ad by a Catholic university in Ohio on Good Friday that showed Jesus hanging on the cross.

Fox News reports:

The social media giant labeled the religious image “shocking and excessively violent,” according to a university spokesman.

Franciscan University of Steubenville published 10 Facebook advertisements for its master’s degree program in theology, catechetics, and evangelization. Tom Crowe, Steubenville’s web communications director, told Fox News he doesn’t know why only the one clearly depicting the San Damiano Cross was rejected.

“It may have been the algorithm or a low level staffer who has something against Christianity,” Crowe said. “For whatever reason, Facebook rejected the cross.”

Facebook apologized Wednesday for the mistake.

“Our team processes millions of ads each week, and sometimes we make mistakes,” a Facebook spokesperson told Fox News. “This image does not violate our ad policies. We apologize for the error and have already let the advertiser know we approved their ad.”

While Facebook said the ad was officially approved on Monday, Crowe told Fox News their claim is “demonstrably false” showing that the ad was actually rejected on Monday by Facebook.

“That said, it is also true that Facebook approved other ads with the exact same image, which again leads me to believe it wasn’t an algorithm, but was a low-level staffer who skims many, many ads and just had something personal against this one,” he said. “I’ll reiterate that I’m not claiming systemic religious bigotry at Facebook, but in this case it seems something like that happened in a one-off situation.”

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Facebook apologized for rejecting an ad on Good Friday from a Catholic university depicting Jesus on a cross.  (Franciscan University of Steubenville)

Crowe called the rejection a “teachable moment” and a reminder for all. He wrote in a piece published on the university’s website titled “He was rejected,” that this is how humanity reacts to the idea of God humbling himself to death on a cross.

“This is sensational, this is shocking,” he wrote. “This is only possible because of the excessive violence that he endured for us.”

Although now approved, Crowe said he hopes people do take something away from it.

“I hope people take another look at the cross and see what God did for us,” he said. “Whether it’s a return to faith or an investigation of this weird thing called Christianity.”

Crowe told Fox News the San Damiano cross is very significant to the Franciscan order, as it is believed God spoke to St. Francis through this cross, which is prominently displayed all over the Steubenville campus.

He said the cross is iconographic, meaning it’s supposed to tell a story.

Unlike other depictions of the cross, the San Damiano cross doesn’t show Christ in agony, because they believe Christ crucified is the sign of his glory and reign. While Jesus most likely would’ve been naked, it’s believed the garment he’s wearing is what most Jewish priests would wear when they offered sacrifices in the Temple, symbolizing Christ as the high priest, the sacrifice of the Father, and the fulfilment of the old covenant.

It wasn’t the nails that kept Jesus on the cross, Crowe said, but rather his love for mankind.

“He could have descended from the cross at any moment,” he wrote. “No, it was love that kept him there. Love for you and for me, that we might not be eternally condemned for our sins but might have life eternal with him and his Father in heaven.”

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