Fr Cyril Victor Joseph
Photo: carfundacion.org Catholics in India are seeking to erect the nation’s tallest statue of Jesus, over objections by Hindi groups who say one of their gods lives on the hill designated for the project.
Work began earlier this month on the statue, planned to be nearly 100 feet tall, on 10 acres of land owned by the Archdiocese of Bangalore. If completed, the statue would be almost as tall as Poland’s 108-foot Christ the King statue, completed in 2010. Poland’s statue is believed to be the tallest statue of Jesus in the world. Hindu groups have opposed the project, objecting that the Kapalabetta hilltop is the abode of their deity Kapali Betta. They said Christians cannot set up a statue there.
Fr Cyril Victor Joseph, chairman of the archdiocese’s media commission said that the controversy is unnecessary and due to misleading media coverage. He said the land in Ramanagara district has long been in Church possession.