In its never ending quest to sell more sweaters, Benetton, purveyor of gaudy sartorial accessories to the masses, thinks that global love is the secret to bigger profits:

At this moment in history, so full of major upheavals and equally large hopes, we have decided, through this campaign, to give widespread visibility to an ideal notion of tolerance and invite the citizens of every country to reflect on how hatred arises particularly from fear of ‘the other’ and of what is unfamiliar to us. Ours is a universal campaign, using instruments such as the internet, the world of social media, and artistic imagination, and it is unique, in that it calls the citizens of the world to action.

This slightly modified photo of the Pope snogging an Egyptian Imam has, surprise surprise, upset the Vatican. Obviously, Benetton is not anticipating selling many sweaters to Catholics or Muslims.

It’s all, ostensibly, a part of promoting the Unhate Foundation which was:

founded by the Benetton Group, [and] seeks to contribute to the creation of a new culture of tolerance, to combat hatred, building on Benetton’s underpinning values. It is another important step in the group’s social responsibility strategy: not a cosmetic exercise, but a contribution that will have a real impact on the international community, especially through the vehicle of communication, which can reach social players in different areas.

As is usually the case when someone is determined to promote tolerance, the means used are seen as intolerable by the majority of those subjected to them. The difference in this case is that much reviled capitalism is acting as a corrective. Benetton’s stock is taking a nosedive: