Archbishop calls for Fifty Shades of Grey movie boycott over its 'attack on Christian marriage'

Archbishop Dennis Schnurr from Cincinnati said the film directly contradicts 'God's design for self-giving love, marriage and sexual intimacy'

Jamie Dornan as Christian and Dakota Johnson as Ana Steele in Fifty Shades of Grey

An Archbishop has urged parishioners not to see the Fifty Shades of Grey movie because of its “direct assault on Christian marriage”.

Ohio Archbishop Dennis Schnurr sent a letter to priests urging pastors to speak out against the film’s “destructive message” to their congregations.

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“We need to inform our people about the destructive message of this movie and to highlight the beauty of God’s design for loving relationships between a husband and wife in the bond of marriage,” he wrote in a letter on 4 February.

Schnurr added that the film’s storyline “is in direct contrast to the Christian message of God’s design for self-giving and self-sacrificing love”.

In the letter, which has since been posted on the Archdiocese of Cincinnati Facebook page, Shnurr said: “In the storyline, a young Miss Steele is urged to sign a contract becoming a sex slave and agreeing to an abusive and degrading relationship.

“This movie is in direct contrast to the Christian message of God’s design for self-giving and self-sacrificing love, marriage and sexual intimacy. The movie is a direct assault on Christian marriage and on the moral and spiritual strength of God’s people.”

The Facebook post originally appeared alongside an image asking Catholics to boycott the movie and send a $50 donation to a domestic violence shelter instead.

But a spokesman for the Archdiocese told news site cincinnati.com that the image had been posted by mistake by a staff member overseeing the page.

“I’m sure the archbishop would not think it’s a bad idea, but it’s not his idea. This is not something the archbishop has specifically has asked for,” he said.

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Schnurr’s appeal to congregations to boycott the film comes after domestic violence protest groups in the UK have urged audiences not to see it.

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