Controversial Statue of John Paul II Gets Makeover

THE NEW YORK TIMES
By Elisabetta Poveledo

Last years sculpture (above) met with an angry response

ITALY---An adapted version of a controversial sculpture of Pope John Paul II that irked many Romans when it was unveiled in May of last year was presented to reporters on Tuesday, after a restyling that lasted nine months. Romans complained that the sculpture didn’t adequately capture the likeness of the beloved pope, who died in 2005, and the six-meter-tall work was belittlingly compared to a sentry box, a bell and a public urinal. The sculptor, Oliviero Rainaldi, worked closely with the commission to incorporate suggestions. Some of these, he said on Tuesday, had been part of the original sketch for the sculpture but had not been included because of pressure to finish it in time for the pope’s beatification, in May 2011, and his birthday, on May 18. The statue will be presented to the public at the end of the month, after a new base has been completed. [link]