People who had been sexually abused by the clergy objected to the spot because it featured a little girl, and a joke at the end where the priest was set to give a sermon on the topic of lust.
Ford will replace the ad with a spot for the Ford Mustang. The commercial, created by JWT Detroit and pushing the 2005 Mustang convertible, was due to run in pre-game coverage.
There is super sensitivity regarding every second of Sunday's broadcast, after last year's debacle when Janet Jackson exposed her breast, leading to some parents claiming that their children were damaged by the site of her heaving bosom.
In the spot, produced by WPP's Young & Rubicam New York, a Christian clergyman finds not just cash on the collection plate, but a set of car keys for a Lincoln Mark LT luxury pick-up truck.
Outside in the church's parking lot, he sees the new Lincoln and stands admiring his new drive as a parishioner turns up with his young daughter in tow.
The father explains that his daughter dropped the keys in the collection plate by accident.
The 30-second spot finishes the with minister putting the letters "LT" outside the church to spell out next week's sermon topic: "LUST."
Complaints about the spot were brought by a victims group, Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, that represents those who have suffered sexual abuse at the hands of the Catholic Church, which has paid millions in compensation claims.
The group argued that the spot trivialised sexual abuse against minors.
However, despite the controversy, Ford said it was surprised at the negative reaction.
Sara Tatchio, a spokeswoman for Ford, said: "We were surprised by the negative reaction. It was not our intention to offend anyone."
The spot, called "charity", would have been Ford's first Lincoln ad in 10 years. The carmaker said it was considering whether to run a replacement spot.
The ad was directed by Tarsem Singh, director of the feature film 'The Cell' starring Jennifer Lopez, and music videos for REM.
If you have an opinion on this or any other issue raised on Brand Republic, join the debate in the .
.jpg)
.jpg)