There have been numerous indications recently that the Left, while regarding traditional religion (or at least Christianity) with contempt, is constructing a new religion of its own, based on its political agenda. 

The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), which is so far-Left as to make Karl Marx himself blush, recently published a new hymn entitled “The Climate is Changing.” Not long before that, New York Governor Kathy Hochul (D-Planned Parenthood), aping the cadences of a preacher, proclaimed that the unvaccinated “aren’t listening to God and what God wants,” and told a Christian audience: “I need you to be my apostles” of vaccination. 

And now the Catholic University of America, which is ostensibly a Christian institution, is displaying two copies of a painting depicting George Floyd as Jesus Christ. Yes, it’s ridiculous and worse, but remember: laughing at this foolishness will get you denounced as a “blasphemer,” that is, a “racist,” and cast into the outer darkness.

The Daily Signal reported Monday that the painting, which is a pastiche of traditional Byzantine iconography, is the work of one Kelly Latimore, and is entitled “Mama.” Karna Lozoya, Catholic University’s vice president for university communications, insisted that it is an image of “the Virgin Mary supporting the body of the dead Christ” and that “you can identify Jesus by the marks on the halo.”

In a certain sense, it’s true: the halo does indeed bear the letters that signify that the one depicted is Jesus, and in classic iconographic style, the Christ/Floyd figure is labeled as “IC XC,” that is, Jesus Christ. 

However, the figure is not a traditional iconographic image of Christ: in the image, both Jesus and His mother are black, and the identification with Floyd is made explicit in a plaque that hangs next to the painting: “Following the violent death of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, Latimore created this Icon in June of that year. 

The image is evocative of the Pieta — the Mother of Sorrows. May Mary, the Mirror of Justice hear the cry of all who have known the sorrow of losing a loved one to violence and injustice. Amen.”

Latimore even explained last April that he regarded his painting “as a way to mourn George Floyd.” He added: “The common question that people asked was, ‘Is it George Floyd or Jesus?’ The fact they’re asking that question is part of the problem. My answer was yes.”