Pope John Paul II

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Pope John Paul II by Oliviero Rainaldi, 2011
Piazza dei Cinquecento
Rome, May 2011

“The city of Rome unveiled a revamped statue of Pope John Paul II on Monday after the first one was pilloried by the public and the Vatican. Artist Oliviero Rainaldi said he was pleased with the final product, saying it matched his original vision. He blamed workers for a botched assemblage the first time around. When the larger-than-life statue was first unveiled in May 2011, it was widely criticized by passers-by as looking more like Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini than the beloved Polish pope. The Vatican's own art critic wrote that it looked like a ‘bomb’ had landed. That few could recognize it as honoring John Paul was a ‘sin,’ critic Sandro Barbagallo declared.” (Revised Statue of Pope John Paul II inaugurated in Rome, The Huffington Post)