Peruvians have gathered in Lima to witness the unveiling of the world’s largest Christ statue on Wednesday.
The 121-foot structure named “Christ of the Pacific” was inaugurated by Peru President Garcia, who took the opportunity to inform people about the true purpose of the monument.
“Our Lord, Jesus Christ, I ask you to bring peace to our country. Material things can do a lot, but nothing is worth anything if there is not a transcendental and different message and that is what you have brought here,” said the president.
Monsignor Bruno Musaro, the Apostolic Nuncio to Peru, was also at the celebratory event, which was filled with music. He shared in the excitement that the president had shown towards the special unveiling, saying: “I am very excited by this show of faith.”
President Garcia has shown strong support for the statue’s creation, and even contributed nearly $37,000 towards the project.
According to Dunyanews.com, the president testified that he wanted to “leave something to the people” when he steps down from office on July 28.
However, not everyone has supported Garcia in his attempt to create an apparent legacy of his time in office. Some critics have said that the new statue in Peru is too similar with the world famous “Christ the Redeemer” statue in Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro, Rtenews has reported.
The Mayor of Lima has also expressed concern with the placement and visual appearance of the structure.
“There are other places the statue could go besides my city, and the lighting system with 26 different colors will be an eyesore,” said Mayor Susana Villaran.
The world’s largest statue “Christ of the Pacific” is 72 feet (22 meters) high, and stands atop a 49-foot (15-meter) concrete base.
The structure, donated by the Brazilian company Odebrecht, overlooks the Pacific Ocean and depicts Christ with his arms spread wide open.
