Well, leaving aside for the moment that it was cartoon of a statue of a woman whom we have no clue of how she looked, the point was quite clearly making fun of those who see miracles performed by statues of Mary.
If you believe those miracles are real, you are going to be offended. If you think those miracles are hoaxes, the result of an over-imaginative perception, or have natural explanations, you won't be. Plenty of Catholics fit into the latter categories.
The point you miss is that this wasn't a diss on Mary. It was a diss of statue miracles.
If you don't see the distinction, then you're a good candidate to believe in healing statue tears, grilled cheese sandwich miracles, etc.
Yes, I can see the distinction were there a distinction being made, and let me say that I do acknowledge your point. HOWEVER, and again, using the icon/statue/person of the Virgin Mary to show that SOME people "flock to a bleeding statue or a piece of toast" was not the best or only way to go to make the same point. That's all. Find something ELSE. Yes, it's offensive. Yes, there are worse things. Yes, I'll bet those writers had other ideas they probably nixed, thank (you'll excuse the expression) God. But they chose to have blood coming out of the Virgin Mary's "ass" (oh, how lovely). To those who do not find the Virgin Mary as anyone special, why would they care anyway? She's just a mythological person, etc. But not to everyone. Let's just agree to disagree. OK?
I have been watching South Park for only a few weeks now, and I must say, I have seen them diss numerous beliefs, things, situations etc...every one and every body is ripe for being blasted on South Park....I think some people do snicker and laugh when someone or something they detest or dont like is getting blasted, but then they get all uppity and huffy, when their particular belief that they hold is being blasted....one should realize that for South Park, nothing appears to be 'hands-off', and so if you are touch or very easily offended, just use that old remote, and change the channel...
And yes, what they were dissing was this hokey thing about the image of Mary, or Jesus, or some other entity being found in a box of cornflakes, or statues bleeding, and then the folks lining up around the block, to get 'cured'...years ago, someone in the old neighborhood we lived in in Chicago, had some tree trimming done...someone strolling by the cut down limbs, claimed that the image of Mary or Jesus could be seen in the saw off end of that tree limb...within a day, crowds were gathering, bringing flowers, and candles, and people were asking for cures...friends of mine told me it was quite the sight, all these folks pushing each other around, trying to near to that cut off tree limb...
As time went on and the end of the tree limb, began to heal and change with the weather, the crowds eventually went away, surely with none of them cured...
South Park may not be for everyone, but if you do watch, do realize that you may very well be offended, and if you are just change the channel...after all, that is what remotes are for...