Andres Serrano, the man responsible for the shocking “Piss Christ,” attended a June 23 papal audience with artists, and met personally with Pope Francis.
After the event, Serrano said that by including him among the invited guests the Vatican conveyed the message that “the Church understands I am a Christian artists and I am not a blasphemous artist.”
The “Piss Christ” is a photo of a crucifix submerged in a container of urine.
Bishop Paul Tighe, the former secretary of the Pontifical Council for Culture, said that the Vatican deliberately included controversial artists among those invited to the papal audience. The message, he said, was: “We’re ready for a conversation.”