Unholy row over ‘world’s tallest’ Jesus

SYDNEY - A 36-metre tall under construction structure of Jesus Christ has apparently divided the Polish Catholics over the statue.

It has also led to charges of megalomania against the Catholic Church.

The structure is being built on a 16-metre-high hill in Swiebodzin.

It would reportedly be taller than the 80-year-old Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, now the world’s tallest statue of Jesus.

The main body of the Polish Jesus is 33 metres high - a metre for each year he lived - and is topped with a three-metre metal crown of thorns.

The project has split Polish society: some are expressing pride, others derision, while many practising Catholics are calling for it to be abandoned.

Supporters of the project, which is being led by local priest Sylwester Zawadzki, hope the statue will attract pilgrims from across the country, turning the economically downtrodden town into a “second Czestochowa”, a reference to Poland’s most popular pilgrimage site, home of the Black Madonna shrine.

The latest worries are about safety after a crane collapsed when builders tried to position the head, crushing a builder’s foot.

Sceptics said it was a sign of God’s disapproval. When the priest suffered a heart attack, the same claim was made and building experts have also voiced concerns the foundations are not deep enough.

“We’ll give it 20 years, maximum, then it’ll fall apart,” the Sydney Morning Herald quoted one building expert as telling Polish media. (ANI)