CMU student dresses as half-naked pope; Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh displeased

PITTSBURGH — The Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh is displeased by a recent portrayal of the pope at a Carnegie Mellon University parade.

During the annual Downhill Derby Parade, organized by the art school as part of an event known as Carnival, a female student dressed up as the leader of the Roman Catholic Church.

Disturbing to some is how the student went about dressing up as the pope. She was naked from the waist down.

Some students at CMU call it art and freedom of expression, but Bishop David Zubik told Channel 11 that the costume disrespects a very important religious symbol.

When shown some of the photos of the girl, Zubik said, “That is actually worse than I imagined.”

In a statement, CMU said, “We are continuing our review of the incident. If our community standards or laws were violated, we will take appropriate action.”

WPXI