Within the Catholic narrative of the Crucifixion, the biblical character of Judas Iscariot is given the noto- rious and controversial role of instigating Jesus’ death and eventual resurrection, which—according to Christian Theology—set in motion the salvation of humanity through Jesus’ sacrifice. In the New Testa- ment, Judas is later described to have committed suicide due to intense remorse. Judas’ role, there- fore, is relegated to the wicked betrayer and neces- sary evil, and his character is distilled into 2 simple traits: wickedness and guilt. agnus dei qui tolis peccata mundi, miserere mei complicates this narra- tive by reframing the relationship between Judas and Jesus through the lens of “shipping”, ambiguat- ing the original black and white narrative to instead depict a complicated, and fraught, homoerotic trage- dy. in reinterpreting his character, the queer body is mapped onto Judas’ narrative role (the betrayer of humanity, the sinful), framing him as a tragic charac- ter that ultimately succumbs to the forces of a great- er power. By problematizing the role of Judas, Raphael calls into question the tragedy of provi- dence and predestination in Christian theology, and Judas’ tragic irredeemability as a consequence of the economy of salvation.

This interpretation of the Judas character becomes a mirror for the queer experience within Catholicism and Christianity; to be queer in Catholicism, from personal experience, is to be isolated due to being denounced and villainized by one’s own faith as a result of means beyond one’s control, or in other words, divine providence. Thus, the Judas character solicits a form of sympathy and understanding through imaginative interpolation and extrapolation, building upon themes of wickedness and grace, repentance, forgiveness, condemnation, individual and corporate responsibility, and tragedy and provi- dence, which were already present within the origi- nal narrative. The dolls, taking on the form of an anthropomorphized wolf and lamb, recall Christian symbolism of sacrifice and betrayal. They reimagine a new eucharistic ritual, perverting the possibilities of what it means to be holy, pure, and in control. Tension arises between the sacred and profane and making holy the perverted. Grief is embodied as cannibalistic, grotesque and all-consuming. In eating the body and blood of Christ, Judas is able to cleanse himself of sin and Jesus’ sacrifice is an artic- ulation of love. Sex becomes a simultaneous expression of devotion and all-consuming guilt, and ultimately, salvation from eternal damnation.