New York Bakery Puts Pope’s Face on Cookies

A bakery in New York City is preparing for the visit of Pope Francis by putting the face of the leader of the Roman Catholic Church on cookies. A lot of people are buying them, but are they eating them?

Artuso Pastry is in Belmont, a section of the Bronx, one of the boroughs of New York City. It is a small, family-owned business.

The bakery makes a lot of different desserts, including the “black and white” cookie, which has chocolate and vanilla icing.

Workers at the bakery have been making special pope cookies since 2008, when Pope Benedict visited New York.

Workers use a special process to put the face of Pope Francis on the cookie. They use edible paper and edible color ink.

Natalia Corridori manages the bakery. She says many people have paid about three dollars for the cookie. But she says some Catholics are uneasy eating them.

“Some of them want to frame it, some of them want to freeze it, some people are afraid to eat it, they think it’s a sin to eat it, and some people are the complete opposite and they think it’s a blessing to eat it and miracles might come from it.”

Sergio Hernández helps make the cookies.

He says as a Catholic, it gives him joy to put the face of Pope Francis on a cookie. He says he is proud to be one of the people making the cookies.

Doris Murray supports the pope. She is also a loyal customer of the bakery. But she does not think people should spend their money on the cookie. Instead, she believes people should give that money to organizations the pope supports.

“This whole cookie situation, or the pictures, or...give your money to an organization that he advocates for and believes in.”

I’m Christopher Jones-Cruise.

Ramon Taylor reported this story from New York. Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted it for VOA Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor.