Pope Statue 'Sin'

This is Oliviero Rainaldi's horrible bronze statue of Pope John Paul II, which was unveiled in the Piazza dei Cinquecento, outside Rome's main railway station, a few days ago. Both the Vatican and the public have given this monstrosity the raspberry. The Vatican comments that the statue's open cloak - yes, that's what it's supposed to be - makes it look like a sentry box and uses the word "sin" to describe the lack of resemblance to the Pope. The head reminds many Romans of the hated Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini. When a newspaper ran an online questionnaire to gauge public opinion, 90% of respondents disliked the statue. Pressure is mounting on the mayor to give it the bum's rush. Let's hope this Roman rebellion against bad contemporary art catches on.