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Gregorio Borgia / AP
This combined picture shows Italian sculptor Oliviero Rainaldi's statue of Pope John Paul II before its restoration, left, on Sept. 23, 2011, and at its inauguration after the restoration, in Rome on Nov. 19, 2012.
The Associated Press reports — The city of Rome has inaugurated a revamped statue of Pope John Paul II after the first one was pilloried by the public and the Vatican.
Pope or Mussolini? Statue sparks uproar
Artist Oliviero Rainaldi says he's pleased with the final product, saying it matches his original vision. He blamed foundry workers for a botched assemblage the first time around.
The statue was restored after Rainaldi was pilloried by the Vatican for creating a sculpture of Pope John Paul II that some mockingly said looked more like Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini than the beloved late pontiff. Even the Vatican's own art critic wrote that it looked like a "bomb" had landed.
Gregorio Borgia / AP
A woman stops to look at the newly unveiled Pope John Paul II statue in Rome on Nov. 19, 2012.
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It looks like a piece of crap still.
I'm sure starving people all over the world are thrilled to see this statue made over....looks better than a bowl of rice! <sarc>
I'd have to agree. And it looks like you can walk under the statue's robes, which seems like a public-relations problem. Didn't somebody have to ok the plans for this thing? Yikes!
It looks like the entry doorway to the underground men's room.
I was living in Rome when the statue was put up. I saw it when I walked out of the train station, andI thought, "Why did they put a Mussolini head on this mini homeless shelter?"I had no idea it was supposed to be an homage to Pope JPII until I read about it a few days later!
I guess we should stop writing books, making movies and drop any hobbies we have until we feed the world first, right? Because you know books and movies are art that people create as well. Neither the city nor the government paid for this statue, a private foundation did.
Sorry but your post wasn't sarcastic, it was idiotic.
Nice legs on that Babe;)
Is that how nuns look these day??? Wow!!
Hot damn! I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought that.
"Honest lady, I'm just taking a picture of the statue...uhhh, could you move a little to right and back a little.........there, a perfect shot".
Still Benito.
Why a statue to any Pope? Just human and by the way, they were complicit in moving pedophile priests. That includes the Pope with the statue (Benito) and the present Pope, who was and may still be, a Nazi. The Catholics should all protest to the world any likeness, regardless of hate or love of, a Pope. Especially those involved with child porn, pedophilary and so forth.
The true help would be holding pedophile priests accountable for their actions.
Hiding your head and pretending there is no problem is no solution, wire.
Oh no, I take them and their indifference into account all the time.
Failing to stop it is tantamount to acceptance. And Catholics accept too damn much from their church.
Cape positioning makes it look like a giant snail, a symbol for slow progress, open to catch the winds of change, or hide many children if it were used as bus stop shelter.
Yeah, like I'd let my kids huddle under a priest's robes......
Gregorio Borgia / AP
A woman stops to look at the newly unveiled Pope John Paul II statue in Rome on Nov. 19, 2012.
And clearly you stopped to take a picture of her...lol. Seriously...dude would have had to lay on the ground to get that shot..lol.
No, it is a camera mounted on a shoe, typically used for up skirt photos. The photographer apparently has many different clients.
Not a bad up-the-skirt photo... and no, not the Pope's skirt...
The one on the left looks like Bruce Willis
I know, Bruce for Pope! Spirituality with a twist.
They should have given the original to Hollywood.
Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments. (Exodus 20:4-6)
Funny how the Catholics seem to forget this commandment at their convenience. Yet, they continue to fight against things which are clearly NOT forbidden in the Bible.
They put the "Hip" into Hypocrasy.
How about "Thou shalt not kill"? Have you enjoyed your burger lately? All Christians are famous for interpreting their 'good book' as it suits them.
Oh yes, because a strict interpretation of that commandment insists the visual arts must be outlawed. That is much closer to Kosher Law, not mainstream Christian law. If you apply the former interpretation, among the first things that would have to go are crucifixes, in addition to any other image of Christ.
Funny how biblical literalists seem to forget that.
You can always go to that OTHER great religion that you Can be killed for making or painting a picture or a statue if you don't like the Christian way. Remember the key word is graven image.
Is that really the best they can do? It's like the MLK statue in Washington which really doesnt resemble him at all. I guess it's so hard to sculpt that no one can do it.
Yet forensics experts can take a skull and model a face based on statistical analysis. Most of the time it turns out to be an excellent approximation of the individual.
It looks like he's opening his robe to conceal a quire boy under there.
I'm sure you meant a choir boy . . .
@vote-4-pedro:
Pio Nono (PIus the Ninth) used to hide a boy under his robes, and then ask: "Where's the boy?"
A ghastly piece of work I must say,,,,the before and after are equally //////// not a word is suitable; FAIL
ZZAR
Definitely an improvement. Art is art, and it does nothing to take away from the care feeding of the poor - unless you can prove that somehow the poor were deprived by the making of the art. Economics says differently - an artist was paid, workers were paid, and now the public can see it free of charge. To imply otherwise is envy, and also denies the charitable work that the Catholic Church does do for the poor, such as the Vatican running a soup kitchen and homeless shelter on their very territory (ah, you did not know they did, did you?).
I think I just threw up in my mouth a little bit.
This is a realistic portrayal of the Church hierarchy today... A cold, hard, heartless, empty shell looking down on the masses. Kudos to the artist.
Hmm, I see it more as a great man who lovingly gives shelter from the storms of life by proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Art is within the eye of the beholder, is it not! ;-)
Unfortunately, benedict, beholders' eyes have been conditioned to see by the disgusting history of the Catholic church: intolerance, torture, murder, war, forced ignorance, misogyny, pedophilia...an organization which has in fact created quite a few storms from which people needed shelter, and often could find none anywhere.
One aspect of that statue is socially accurate: it invites kids to come and play under priestly robes.
LOL!!! peds even in a public.
I like it and he probably does also.
A statue of that old queen simply must have all her bedazzling jewels, gold and silver hanging all over her. That is one sickening statue . . . . I can't ever begin to describe all the things wrong with it. It does look a bit like Mussolini, but I doubt Mussolini wouldn't be caught dead in any of the gowns Miss John Paul II has in her closet . . . . oh, did I make a reference there by mentioning "closet." Nauseating when you think that the money spent on that hideous lump of concrete could feed a large number of starving people. What a shame! And all her pearls and gold dresses could fee all the hungry all over the world for a day. Add to that the satin robes and jewels worn by those nellie, mindless drones in the Vatican, and you'd be able to feed all the hungry many, many days.
Looks like one of the fat twins in Alice In Wonderland........
To the posters so far: have you ever taken an art class? sculpture class? art history class? Made something with a medium other than tooth picks, popsicle sticks or paper maiche? Were you there when the art work was commissioned? If you have answered no to any/all of these questions, please refrain from your nit picking.
I had no idea Bruce Willis got to be Pope!
real humble right!!!! what a waste of money that should have used to feed or clothe the poor. that screwed up religion are just a bunch of rich old insecure bastards. Why in this world we let all those silly old suckers influence us with their religious garbage is beyond me. This applies to all reigions and you don't need religion to believe in God!!!!!!!!!
The revised version makes John Paul look like one of the crooks in the Warren Beatty movie "Dick Tracy".
It's a horrible likeness. Actually it doesn't look anything like Pope John Paul II. Take it down and bury it and the artist at a crossroad.
Why make a statue of Mussolini's Nazi Pope!
I'm not a fanatic, but what about the "no graven images" clause in the 10 commandments? Oh yeah, it's just a big icon so it must be okay. (Icons are little graven images small enough to fit on your car's dashboard and other places.)
In modern American society, the "need" for icons has been replaced by a myriad of bobble-heads.