Pope Francis Asks Home Cathedral to Remove Statue of Himself

Pope Francis has contacted the Metropolitan Cathedral of Buenos Aires and asked that a statue in his likeness be removed from the gardens surrounding the cathedral.

According to La Gazzetta del Mezzogiorno, after finding out that a statue of himself had been installed in the cathedral gardens, Francis personally telephoned his former home church on Tuesday and asked that the statue be “removed immediately.”

The cathedral, which Francis served prior to being elected pope in March, installed the statue ten days ago. The statue was created by Fernando Pugliese, who also fashioned monuments dedicated to John Paul II and Mother Teresa.

Church leaders in Argentina had also planned to open a museum in honor of Pope Francis, the former Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio.