The ad, released on Youtube on Friday, shows a flamboyant dancing priest leading a congregation in a sing along.

The ad accuses the Catholic Church with its "sleazy priests" of "making the world less good".

The ad also shows a Jesus figure speaking from the cross, saying "Can I get down now?"

Sex Party officials say the ad is meant to highlight the party's policy of ensuring that religious institutions are transparent and accountable in Australia.

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An image of the nuns was posted on Instagram last week and the Sex Party released it and another photograph to the media on Friday.

Sex Party leader Fiona Patten said the pair of sisters seemed "hell-bent" on tearing down the words "tax the church" from a pole in Collingwood.

"Our policy to tax the Church is fair and reasonable, especially where it applies to the Church's profit-making businesses," Ms Patten said on Friday.

"If the nuns would like to visit me and confess, that will be an end to it."

The Sex Party said the sisters also tore a poster calling for legalised medical marijuana.

The Catholic archdiocese of Melbourne's media and communications director, Shane Healy, said interfering with election posters could not be condoned.

"[But] no one should be at all surprised that sisters of the Missionaries of Charity, established by Mother Teresa of Calcutta to feed and support the poorest of the poor, would be taking offence at the policies of the Sex Party," he said.

Sex Party Senate candidate Meredith Doig said the whole act was "pathetic".

"It's a bit of a flashback to the past of some sort of sanctimonious 19th century era women's temporary union," Dr Doig said.

"Honestly, in this day and age, you got to think about what's going through their minds and how engaged they are with society."

During the New South Wales state elections last year, Sex Party signs were removed from a church that was being used as a polling booth.

This was reportedly because church workers believed they were the work of the devil.

Sources

• The Guardian
• SBS
• Stuff.co.nz
• Image: SBS