Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Chennai (Agenzia Fides) -Chennai city in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu has chosen to honour the memory of Pope John Paul II on the first anniversary of his death erecting a bronze statue of the Pontiff in the city centre. The statue the work of sculptor Shihan Hussaini for the moment is in the compound of a Catholic mission and will eventually be placed in a square or part in the city chosen by the city authorities
The city has in fact welcomed the initiative and said the civil society “will be honoured to offer this act of recognition to a man of dialogue and peace as was John Paul II”.
“This is the first large statue of John Paul II”, said the sculptor Hussaini, who illustrated the 7 metre high reproduction of the pontiff. “It portrays the Pope at the top of three steps which represent stages of his life: as Karol Wojtyla, as Pope John Paul II, and the third on the path to sainthood. There are 26 smaller steps one for each year of his pontificate which reach out to the viewer”. (Agenzia Fides 4/4/2006 righe 21 parole 213)
