Remember the Pat Oliphant cartoon with a little boy Mel Gibson inspired by his beating at the hands of a nun?

The Boston Globe Ombudsman talks about the fallout

Scores of readers quickly phoned or e-mailed their dismay and their disgust. They were as hurt as they were angry, and a couple were in tears. They spoke personally about nuns who dedicated their lives to teaching in poor neighborhoods for little pay. Such women didn’t deserve to be cast as evil, they said, and the Globe must apologize. Some canceled the paper.

At first glance (and, for many, second and third and fourth glance), the dominant image in the cartoon is the looming, violent nun, not tiny Mel. Add to that the element of stereotype — nuns are cruel — and the cartoon offends before it can enlighten or amuse. One must ask: Is the intended message, even if eventually understood, worth the price?

In this case, I’d say not. The point of this particular cartoon didn’t equal the cost.

Could I have predicted the reaction? Maybe not, even though I know something about cartooning, being married to the Globe editorial cartoonist. But having talked to many of the 100-plus readers who called or wrote, I understand their concerns.

“I work in a nursing home for nuns, and there are a lot of hurt feelings here,” said caller Kathryn Spruill. The women “have dedicated their whole lives to teaching . . . and this was very hurtful.”

The cartoon, said Mary Cunningham, perpetuates “a cruel, humorless, unfounded stereotype of nuns. . . . Clearly, if the cartoonist has issues with the violent aspects of Mel Gibson’s film, then make them by critiquing the movie and the director, not by maligning religious women who have served faithfully. . . . Would you take such odious liberties on your cartoon page with other religious or ethnic groups? I think not.”

“Whatever possessed you to run this cartoon in the Globe at this time with all that’s going in the Catholic Church?” said Sandra Perry, who has taught in parochial schools for 18 years. “Everyone in my school is incensed about this. . . . I know a lot of nuns who were brought to tears by this.”

Milton lawyer Laura Kessler said a nun’s obituary that ran the same day as the cartoon made it look even more ridiculous. She wrote: “Sister Neal’s obituary stated, in pertinent part, `she never retaliated when attacks came her way, because she had something more important to do . . .’ I don’t have anything more important to do today. Please cancel my subscription.”