Italian atheists announce bus ad campaign for Genoa

Rome, Italy, Jan 13, 2009 / 08:52 am

Italian atheists, following the lead of atheists in the UK and Spain, announced Monday they will launch an ad campaign February 4 on two public buses in the city of Genoa, with the sponsorship of the Union of Rationalist Atheists and Agnostics of Italy.
 
“Our campaign is a challenge launched by atheists in Bagnasco’s region,” said Union secretary general Raffaele Carcano, referring to the fact that the Archbishop of Genoa, Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, is also president of the Italian Bishops’ Conference.
 
The campaign’s slogan will be: “The bad news is God does not exist. The good news is you don’t need him.” Archdiocesan officials gave little importance to the ad campaign. “This is a campaign that will lead nowhere. Some methods promote dialogue, others encourage intolerance, and direct opposition is always a manifestation of intolerance,” said Gianfranco Calabrese, Director of Evangelization for the Archdiocese of Genoa.