( CNN ) -- Playboy magazine issued an apology Monday for the cover of its Mexican edition , which features an Argentine model in what many observers say is meant to be a depiction of the Virgin Mary . Playboy issued an apology after outrage erupted over this cover of the magazine 's Mexican edition . Playboy Mexico has said the cover was not meant to portray the Virgin Mary , despite being printed just days before the Feast of the Immaculate Conception and the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe -- both Catholic holidays centering on the Virgin Mary . CNN 's Rick Sanchez sat down with CNN Español 's Glenda Umana and Father Albert Cutie , a Radio La Paz host , to discuss the reaction among Mexicans and Catholics . The transcript has been edited for clarity . Rick Sanchez : What is going on in Mexico and how big a deal is this ? Watch the controversy over the Playboy cover » . Glenda Umana : ... there has not been a lot of publicity . It 's very interesting , but certainly it has been very , very offensive , not only for the Catholics in Mexico , but all Catholics worldwide . As we can see , this Mexican version of Playboy magazine shows the cover of a model as you were explaining -- María Florencia Onori from Argentina -- posing like the Virgin Mary . This was published last week on the exact date , Rick , when millions of Mexicans celebrate the festival of the Virgin of Guadalupe . Very important , not only for Mexicans but for all Latino-Americans . Sanchez : So the timing is interesting here . Let me read to the viewers , because we contacted the magazine ... Umana : You have a reaction from them , right ? Sanchez : We do . It 's right here . This is from the publisher of the magazine , Raul Sayrols . He says , `` The image is not and never was intended to portray the Virgin of Guadalupe , '' -- which is the Virgin Mary -- `` The intent was to portray a renaissance-like mood on the cover . '' Interesting . Let me bring in somebody for whom this hits home . He 's one of the best known priests in the United States . His name is Father Cutie . I worked with him in Miami many times , has his own show -- actually he 's got his own book out now . It 's called `` Real Life , Real Love . '' Bestseller , by the way . Father , are we as Catholics just too sensitive when it comes to this kind -- after all , it 's a beautiful woman being shown to represent what is , in our minds , to all of us , a beautiful woman . Father Albert Cutie : Listen , there 's no doubt that she 's a beautiful woman . But a stained-glass window and the veil that looks like that , certainly there 's a reference to Mary . Whoever tells you there is n't is simply being hypocritical or not very honest . And that 's what I do n't like about the statement from Playboy magazine . I think that they timed it not only with the Virgin of Guadalupe , as Glenda was saying , but also with the month of December . How many nativity scenes are out there this time of the year ? How many times is Mary a central figure in this whole celebration ? And this is offensive . This is very offensive . It 's blasphemous . Sanchez : As a matter of fact , Father -- . Cutie : It 's wrong . Sanchez : Father , we got one statement from him . But let me read you the entire statement he had put out earlier in the day , `` The image is not and never was intended to portray the Virgin of Guadalupe or any other religious figure . '' He goes on to say -- `` or any other religious figure . '' Now , on its face , as you look at this picture , that looks like a bald-faced lie , does n't it ? Cutie : No , and not only that , this is someone who obviously has no scruples . And I 'm not talking about the model -- whoever assigned this whole thing . First of all , we do n't adore Mary ; we adore God , only God . And to say `` Te Adoramos María , '' the Spanish -- `` We adore you , Mary '' -- basically , it 's making a direct religious reference to something which is sacred . Because you do n't adore anything if it 's not sacred . So to us , really it 's a double offense ... Sanchez : And by the way , the emphasis , `` Te Adoramos , '' as you know , being Cuban yourself , that word in Spanish has even more of a heightened religious meaning than it does in English . Cutie : That 's right . It means that you love someone -- . Sanchez : Hail -- you hail them . Cutie : That 's right . That 's right . Now , in the cover of a magazine of a porn business that is already a huge success , why would you need to use religious symbols to sell more magazines ? This sounds desperate to me . And not only desperate , it 's totally offensive to a billion Catholics in the world and to non-Catholics who honor Mary as the mother of Jesus .
Madonna , Florencia Onori featured on the above caption , ` ` We love you , Mary '' Playboy is host to several religious holidays honoring Virgin Mary . Priest : ` ` It 's totally offensive to a billion Catholics in the world '' Playboy says cover was never meant to honor any religious figure .