Lidl in new airbrushed church cross row

LIDL has been accused of airbrushing out crosses from a historic church in Italy so as not to offend its non-christian customers.

The case follows a similar controversy last month involving packaging for a range of Greek food in which the crosses on top of a blue-domed church on the Greek island of Santorini were removed by the German-owned chain.

The latest row involves the Church of Sant’antonio Abate in the picturesque village of Dolceacqua in the north-western region of Liguria.

An image of the church, with the crosses removed from its façade and its bell tower, was used for promotional purposes by a Lidl branch in the nearby town of Camporosso.

The crosses were apparently removed so as not to offend the sensibility of the town’s Muslim immigrants.

Fulvio Gazzola, the mayor of Dolceacqua, has made a formal complaint against Lidl. “You need to show photos of Dolceacqua which correspond to reality,” the mayor said. “Lidl said removing religious symbols is part of an Italian and European publicity strategy.

“They are free to do what they want, but they shouldn’t ruin photos. This is harmful to the image of our village and to our Christian traditions.”

In a statement, Lidl offered an apology “to our customers and to the inhabitants of Dolceacqua”. It said the aim was “to maintain neutrality in all religions”, but it added that the image would be removed “immediately”.