AN ITALIAN sculptor has agreed to make some changes to a statue of Pope Paul John Paul II which some say looks more like the fascist dictator Mussolini than the late Pope.
The 16ft, four-ton statue – the work of Oliviero Rainaldi, 55 – appeared last spring outside Rome’s main train station, much to the horror of Vatican art critic Sandro Barbagallo. Writing in the Vatican paper L’Osservatore Romano, he said it looked as if a “bomb” had landed, and likened the Pope’s open cloak to a “sentry box.”
The controversial statue of the late John Paul II. Photo: Associated Press
That few could recognize it as honouring John Paul was a “sin”, Barbagallo declared.
Now the sculptor has agreed to carry out several changes decided upon by a committee of art experts, culture officials and scholars set up by Rome’s Mayor, Gianni Alemanno.
Asked what he tried to express in the work, Rainaldi said the wide-open cloak was:
A symbol of opening, of knocking down walls.
John Paul had “donated himself, emptied himself” in the name of dialogue, Rainaldi said in explaining the gaping space that the Vatican critic lambasted as “a gash.”
He added:
Even Michelangelo was criticized … Criticism is inevitable.
The minimalist treatment of the statue’s roundish, bald head leads many passers-by to shake their heads as they wonder who the hell it’s supposed to represent.
“Mussolini?” ventured Pavel Michenko, from Moldova – and Dimitry Filimonov, a Russian visitor thought it was former Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev.
Despite agreeing to changes, Rainaldi said the “makeover” of the sculpture would be modest, insisting a drastic rework is something he “couldn’t contemplate.”
The bronze’s patina, which now ranges from a sickly green to a brownish area on the cloak that looks as if a cappuccino was spilled on it, will be redone, leaving the work with a uniform, dark “cold green” hue, the 55-year-old artist said.
While the city’s announcement says the head will be “redone”, Rainaldi insists he’ll only do “technical touchups.”
The Freethinker was founded in 1881 by GW Foote, an outspoken critic of religion. After the publication of 
September 30th, 2011 at 10:41 am
“Sentry box”? Shouldn’t that be “entry box”? After all, it does look like he’s flashing.
September 30th, 2011 at 11:19 am
All the artist needs to do is put a smaller statue of a screaming child trapped within that cloak – surely that would be more symbolic.
September 30th, 2011 at 11:30 am
Like this, Tony?
September 30th, 2011 at 12:25 pm
Hiding beneath his cloak should be a priest abusing a child, it’d be clear it ws a statue of a pope then!
September 30th, 2011 at 1:08 pm
@Barry Duke,
Exactly!
September 30th, 2011 at 1:09 pm
Oliviero Rainaldo’s name was just made for anagramming:
Air Raid Evil in Loo
Oo, Rail, Divine Liar
I think there might be better ones there, actually!
September 30th, 2011 at 1:39 pm
Surely this should be at a sea-port, not a train station.
This hollow shell of a man certainly missed the boat when it came to tackling child abuse by the Catholic clergy.
September 30th, 2011 at 1:57 pm
The head should be re-done. Yes chopped off.
September 30th, 2011 at 2:04 pm
Converting this thing into a pissoir might make it as useful as it can possibly be.
September 30th, 2011 at 2:05 pm
Kinda looks like Darth Vader sans mask, to me.
From a purely æsthetic point of view, I hope someone puts the ‘artist’ up against a wall an shoots him, as a warning to pretentious, unimaginative twats everywhere. “How can I portray openness? Erm, I know, I’ll make an open phone-box and stick a head on top!”
September 30th, 2011 at 2:18 pm
Avoid loonier liar
September 30th, 2011 at 2:29 pm
Too many ‘o’s, Daz. His surname is actually Rainaldi!
September 30th, 2011 at 3:05 pm
So the statue of the pope reminds people of a fascist dictator.
It is indeed a rare artist that can truly capture the essence of a subject. Well done Mr Rainaldi.
September 30th, 2011 at 3:21 pm
“….technical touchups” Is that the latest euphemism used by the paedo-priests?
Ugly statue of an ugly man. At least the statue gives the pigeons something to crap on.
September 30th, 2011 at 4:24 pm
Barriejohn
Void an oilier liar
September 30th, 2011 at 4:34 pm
So they insist on the Pope being physically attractive, do they? Shame they didn’t pay as much attention to his repellent opinions.
September 30th, 2011 at 7:30 pm
A pissoir, surely?
September 30th, 2011 at 7:51 pm
Hiding beneath his cloak is a priest abusing a child, they cant be seen because they’re being covered up by the cloak
September 30th, 2011 at 8:30 pm
No thanks, and don’t call me Shirley.
I’ll get me coat…
September 30th, 2011 at 9:49 pm
To me, it points to a man who was just full of hot air, and who finally exploded.
October 1st, 2011 at 9:22 am
Like the real Jean Paul and the church he led, beneath the facade there’s nothing of substance – just hollow, empty promises.
October 1st, 2011 at 11:44 am
Mussolini? Kruschev? Well at least they’re in the right section of the rogues gallery!