{"id":44792,"date":"2025-06-11T10:02:20","date_gmt":"2025-06-11T14:02:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/idolchatter\/?p=44792"},"modified":"2025-06-11T10:02:20","modified_gmt":"2025-06-11T14:02:20","slug":"apple-tv-under-fire-for-your-friends-and-neighbors-episode-that-mocks-the-eucharist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/idolchatter\/2025\/06\/apple-tv-under-fire-for-your-friends-and-neighbors-episode-that-mocks-the-eucharist.html","title":{"rendered":"Apple TV+ Under Fire for ‘Your Friends and Neighbors’ Episode That Mocks the Eucharist"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
Left: Adobe Stock | Right: Apple+<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A leading Catholic advocacy organization is urging Apple TV+ to remove what it calls a “blasphemous” episode of the series Your Friends and Neighbors<\/em>. The organization accuses the streaming platform of mocking sacred Catholic beliefs, particularly the Eucharist.<\/p>\n

In a strongly worded letter<\/a> to Apple CEO Tim Cook, CatholicVote Vice President Josh Mercer condemned the episode \u201cThe Things You Lost Along the Way,” as a “mean-spirited effort to mock Catholicism” and called for its immediate removal from the Apple TV+ library.<\/p>\n

“This episode is not only offensive, it’s sacrilegious,” Mercer wrote. “Two characters break into a Catholic church, steal consecrated hosts from the tabernacle, and then mock the Eucharist \u2014 casually eating the hosts as a snack while making flippant remarks about the Body of Christ.”<\/p>\n

The scene further depicts the male character feeding a host to a woman, pretending to bless her, and the pair engaging in romantic behavior in the church pews before being interrupted by a pastor.<\/p>\n

Mercer called the portrayal “deeply disrespectful to the Catholic faith” and noted that the scene appears to have no meaningful connection to the show’s broader storyline. Your Friends and Neighbors<\/em> follows a hedge fund manager who turns to burglary to sustain his lifestyle \u2014 a premise CatholicVote says hardly justifies desecrating Christian sacred spaces.<\/p>\n

CatholicVote has launched a petition<\/a> urging Apple to take down the episode. As of this week, the petition claims to have garnered more than 300,000 signatures from concerned Catholics and other Christians.<\/p>\n

“We speak on behalf of millions of Catholics across the country and the world when we say we are shocked and outraged,” Mercer stated. “This is not just another edgy plot twist \u2014 this is a direct insult to the central mystery of our faith: the Eucharist.”<\/p>\n

Mercer also challenged Apple’s public commitments to diversity and inclusion, quoting the company’s mission statement that pledges “dignity, respect, and opportunity for everyone.”<\/p>\n

“Is promoting content which mocks and degrades the faith of Catholics compatible with this ‘culture of dignity and respect’?” Mercer asked. “Would Apple permit an equivalent mockery of the Islamic or Jewish faith? We think not.”<\/p>\n

The letter also referenced a 2015 op-ed written by Tim Cook in which he expressed “great reverence for religious freedom.” Mercer closed by requesting a meeting with Cook to “discuss how Apple can foster true diversity and tolerance by ensuring its content is respectful of the religious practices of Catholics.”<\/p>\n

As of now, Apple has not issued a public response to the letter or the petition.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A leading Catholic advocacy organization is urging Apple TV+ to remove what it calls a “blasphemous” episode of the series Your Friends and Neighbors. The organization accuses the streaming platform of mocking sacred Catholic beliefs, particularly the Eucharist. 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