A sculpture resembling a penis has been removed in Malta in anticipation of the Pope's visit. The statue "Colonna Mediterranea," by sculptor Paul Vella Critien, was erected in the town of Luqa in 2006. Residents of the mostly Catholic town have apparently complained about "Colonna Mediterranea" for years, but the Papal visit seemed to be the final straw.
Luqa Mayor John Schembri referred to the statue as "obscene" and said it was removed "out of respect" for the Pope.
Critien, whose works have been displayed elsewhere in Europe and Australia, says the piece was an updatted version of an ancient Egyptian symbol. Indeed, Ancient Egyptian saw an entire cult of the phallus, which was linked to the god Osiris.
One can't blame the town of Luqa for being sensitive to Pope Benedict's feelings, however. The poor man has enough on his mind traveling to Malta after it was recently revealed that a pedophilia "response team" set up by the Maltese Catholic Church in 1999 had received allegations against 45 priests. A big green phallus is probably the last thing he wants to see.
I like the colours. If you are going to display a phallic object to offend the Pope it should be pretty.
ReplyDeleteAs it is not literally a phallus, might anyone offended be accused of having a dirty imagination?
ReplyDelete