VERNON, Conn. (AP) -- A syndicated comic strip is getting few laughs in this eastern Connecticut town where an unusual church design has been held up to nationwide ridicule. The Sacred Heart Church, a condemned 30-year-old building resembling a pyramid, was the subject of newspaper cartoonist Bill Griffith's irreverent humor that animates Zippy the Pinhead -- an unshaven clown whose non sequiturs offer a snide commentary on life and human foibles. ``Hello?'' Zippy calls out as he stands before the building in a strip published Wednesday. ``God?'' he asks in the second frame. ``Whoops. Wrong address, `` he says, walking away. The Rev. Stanley J. Szczapa, pastor of the Roman Catholic congregation, was not amused. ``That is absolutely rude, unkind, mean-spirited, and to use a clown to say it makes it even worse,'' he said. ``What it says to people is God is not present at Sacred Heart Church.''The church, which is adorned by a cross above the front door, is not identified in the comic. But Vernon residents recognized it. ``Everyone knows it is Sacred Heart Church,'' Szczapa said. ``It is a landmark.''Poking fun at religion almost always guarantees a response, and parishioners sent angry e-mails to Griffith. Szczapa demanded an apology. Griffith, a Connecticut resident, refused to apologize. ``I did not intend to insult them, but if they are insulted, all I can say is that it's not intentional,'' he said. ``My job as a cartoonist doesn't come with explaining what I do.''The church, built in 1971, was condemned four years ago when chunks of concrete fell from the ceiling onto pews. Parishioners now worship at a nearby parish hall. ``For the parish, it's still a source of pain and sorrow that the church has had these problems,'' said pastoral assistant Rella Bernabucci. She compared the comic strip to ``putting salt in the wound.'
Copyright 2001 The Associated Press