(http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Photo/_new/pb-121119-pope-da-01.photoblog900.jpg)Gregorio Borgia / APThis combined picture shows Italian sculptor Oliviero Rainaldi's statue of Pope John Paul II before its restoration, left, on Sept. 23, 2011, and at its inauguration after the restoration, in Rome on Nov. 19, 2012.
The Associated Press reports — The city of Rome has inaugurated a revamped statue of Pope John Paul II after the first one was pilloried by the public and the Vatican.
Pope or Mussolini? Statue sparks uproar (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43108001/ns/world_news-europe/t/pope-john-paul-ii-or-mussolini-statue-sparks-uproar/#.UKoTo4fZbgc)
Artist Oliviero Rainaldi says he's pleased with the final product, saying it matches his original vision. He blamed foundry workers for a botched assemblage the first time around.
The statue was restored after Rainaldi was pilloried by the Vatican for creating a sculpture of Pope John Paul II that some mockingly said looked more like Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini than the beloved late pontiff. Even the Vatican's own art critic wrote that it looked like a "bomb" had landed. (http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Photo/_new/pb-121119-pope-da-02.photoblog900.jpg)Gregorio Borgia / APA woman stops to look at the newly unveiled Pope John Paul II statue in Rome on Nov. 19, 2012. Follow @NBCNewsPictures (https://twitter.com/NBCNewsPictures)
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