The new Roman Catholic pontiff, Pope Francis, is appalled by a new life-size statue of himself in Buenos Aires and has ordered it removed "right away," according to Argentina's Clarin.
The pope has made it very clear he's not big on pomp and ceremony, opting out of extravagent Vatican living quarters and speaking out on poverty in one of his first speeches as Pope.
The statue by artist Fernando Pugliese went up twelve days ago outside the Pope's old church, the Cathedral of Buenos Aires, according to Vatican Insider. Pugliese is well-known for his depictions of major Catholic figures like Pope John Paul II and Mother Teresa.
Pope Francis was outraged by the statue because he feared it would foster a cult of personality, according to The Huffington Post.
In fact, he called the Cathedral as soon as he heard about it and told the first priest that picked up: “Get [rid of] that right away,” according to Clarin, adding that a "few hours later, the statue vanished from the garden."
The statue's fate raises questions about a proposed Papal-inspired museum exhibition planned in the Buenos Aires church. Work on the project has been suspended due to recent objections from the Vatican, said Clarin.
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