Pope statue unveiled in Italian potato field
ITALY: The first-ever statue of Pope Francis has been unveiled in a
potato field near Naples -- an unorthodox homage to the fact that the
Argentine Pope's ancestors were farmers in northern Italy.
The statue will be presented to the Pope next month by Italian actor
Barbato De Stefano, who comes from the village of Cicciano where it was
presented and has financed the project.
"The poverty of my village is a treasure for the community in which I
was born and grew up," said De Stefano, who praised the Pope's own
modest demeanour saying he had "pierced people's hearts". The
primitive-style statue was shown on Sunday, with a painted background of
the balcony of St Peter's Basilica on which the Pope stood after his
election at a conclave of cardinals in March.
De Stefano said that next month he will present the Pope with the
statue, which has as its background the balcony of St Peter's Basilica
on which the Pope stood after his election in March.
The 76-year-old Pope was formerly the archbishop of Buenos Aires,
Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio. Like many Italians, his parents emigrated to
Argentina between the First and Second World Wars.
AFP
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