We used the Church’s own language and symbols to provoke a response and subvert its doctrine – with an attention-grabbing Facebook appeal. First came the slogan ‘Thank God – Condoms Protect’. To bring the anti-suffering message home, we literally brought the Virgin Mary to tears. For every like, Mary shed a tear. And not just virtually, but also in the real world. We exhibited a Crying Mary statue in a glass tank and streamed it live 24/7. Every tear counted: as the water level rose, so did the pressure on the Vatican. The appeal culminated in an open letter to the Pope.

Within just a week, our appeal reached over 112,000 people. The number of Facebook fans increased tenfold and has now reached the 10,000 mark. The viral effect was crucial: 90% of Facebook fans reposted, commented, tweeted and blogged about the appeal. The offline impact within Germany was also significant. Youth Against AIDS carried out talks in schools, shopping centres and in parliament. Over €20,000 was raised through donations, sales and giveaways.

All that now remains is for the Vatican to enter the debate. Thanks to this appeal, that debate is now highly public.