Statue of Pope Francis to be unveiled in Bucharest

A statue of Pope Francis will be unveiled in Bucharest, one year after his visit to the country, local daily Adevarulreported.

The statue will be set up on Schitu Măgureanu Boulevard, close to the headquarters of the Apostolic Nunciature, the diplomatic mission of the Holy See.

The statue has already been made and will be unveiled on June 16. It will be located several hundred meters away from the statue of Pope John Paul II.

The latter visited Bucharest in May 1999, marking the first papal trip to a predominantly Orthodox country. Twenty years later, between May 31 and June 2 of 2019, Pope Francis visited Romania, making stops in Bucharest, Iaşi, Sumuleu Ciuc, and Blaj.

In Blaj, he beatified seven Greek-Catholic bishops who were persecuted and died in prison during the Communist regime. The ceremony took place on Câmpia Libertății (the Freedom Plain) in Blaj, in front of an audience of about 100,000 people.

Several hundred thousands people came to see Pope Francis in the four main stops during his three-day visit to Romania, despite the bad weather.

(Photo: Octav Ganea/ Inquam Photos)