In November, we noticed that a can of Steel Reserve High Gravity Lager was part of the décor in Ward 6 Councilmember Tommy Wells’ office. Turns out we weren’t the only ones to notice that newly sworn-in Mayor Vince Gray has some eye-catching mementos lined up in his revamped office, too.

The Washington Post has this report and photo gallery regarding the furnishing of the Mayor’s sixth-floor office at the John A. Wilson Building. Gray reportedly adhered strictly to a zero-sum budget on the redesign, enlisting the pro-bono help of a campaign volunteer and giving him bags of personal mementos and left over furniture from former mayor Anthony Williams to work with.

The highlight of the clubby, comfortable office? Check out the new Mayor’s library shelf in photos 5 and 6 of the Post’s photo gallery. On one of the shelves, you’ll see an album from Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to Washington, a picture of the Pope shaking hands with the then-Council Chair and, in front of those, an engraved glass plate. That plate? It’s an award from reproductive rights organization Planned Parenthood. The full text of the engraving is hard to make out, though it appears to be an award for “dedication to providing, promoting, and protecting quality reproductive healthcare,” or something along those lines.

A not-so-subtle political statement, or an accidental placement from an event planner with a knack for arranging interiors? Either way, the Catholic blogosphere isn’t pleased: CatholicVote.org labelled the arrangement as “Decoration FAIL” and called it “the definition of poor taste.”