Catholic symbols cut out of the OTHER Jesus-related Super Bowl ad

Since Super Bowl LVIII last Sunday, many on social media and elsewhere have focused on the "He Gets Us" commercial, which seemed to put social justice symbolism on full display. However, the other Jesus-related Super Bowl commercial, the one promoting the Hallow prayer app, appears to have had some key Catholic symbols scrubbed from it, leading at least one Catholic media outlet to cry foul.

According to its website, Hallow claims to be the "#1 App for Christian & Catholic" prayer, meditation, and the Bible. Since its founding in 2018, Hallow has exploded in popularity, becoming the first faith-based app to break into the App Store's Top 10. Several high-profile Catholic clerics like Fr. Mike Schmitz and Bishop Robert Barron have contributed to it, as have some Catholic celebrities like actors Mark Wahlberg and Jonathan Roumie, who portrays Jesus on the hit series "The Chosen."

Wahlberg and Roumie teamed up to appear in Hallow's Super Bowl ad, and Hallow has shared its version of the commercial on several social media platforms. But that version differs from the ad that aired during the big game, and as the Catholic World Report noted, all of the major differences between the two versions relate to religious imagery.

In the opening scene of the commercial, Wahlberg dips his finger in holy water and walks into a Catholic church rich with stained-glass windows and familiar Christian icons. Behind the altar is a large image of Christ with the message "I AM WHO AM," a reference to the name of God given to Moses in the book of Exodus. However, the commercial that aired on TV narrowed the scope of the camera to such an extent that the Christ image is almost entirely cut out, leaving viewers in the dark about the full beauty of the church and the reason it was built in the first place.

Left: Original version | Right: Aired versionComposite screenshot of @amplifyunheard X video and Hallow: Prayer and Meditation YouTube video

In the next scene, a family is gathered around a table, saying grace before dinner. In the original version, each family member makes the sign of the Cross, a fixture of Catholic prayer. Though the aired version zeroes in on a young boy as he does his best to make the sign of the Cross, the unified family gesture is absent. Instead, the family is shown simply bowing their heads.

Main: Original version | Inset: Aired versionComposite screenshot of @amplifyunheard X video and Hallow: Prayer and Meditation YouTube video

One other notable difference between the ads relates to a cross of ashes that a priest marks on Roumie's forehead in anticipation of Ash Wednesday and the season of Lent, which kicked off just a few days after the Super Bowl. In the original version, the cross is pronounced and easily visible, while in the aired version, it is only faintly detectable.

Left: Original version | Right: Aired versionComposite screenshot of @amplifyunheard X video and Hallow: Prayer and Meditation YouTube video

The Catholic World Report blames Paramount and CBS for the changes, though when the changes were made and by whom are currently unclear. Neither CBS nor Hallow responded to Blaze News' request for comment.

The two different versions can be seen below:

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