Portugal Colonial - Giant statue of Pope Leo XIV takes shape in Peru workshop

The sculptor and his workmen look like miniature figures as they work on the 14-meter monument in honor of the pope, who is a Peruvian citizen.

The statue will be unveiled before the head of the Catholic Church's arrival in Peru on November 11.

Rafael Gutierrez, a 42-year-old artist, is leading the project from his modest workshop in Lima's Carabayllo district.

"Every morning, together with the staff, we say a short prayer so that we’re given strength and can make it to the end of the job," Gutierrez told AFP.

He smooths the features of the head -- which he says weighs more than a ton -- with a yellow sponge, while another craftsman adds clay to the fingers of the enormous hands.

Other workers erect scaffolding for a four-story structure where they will assemble, piece by piece, the giant replica of the pope. A total of eight people are working on the piece.

Gutierrez said he used artificial intelligence and a 3D model to help design the sculpture.

"We’re grateful that the pope has blessed us so that we can create his image," 48-year-old worker Lener Mendoza said.

The monument will be installed in a park in Callao, a nearby port city, after being coated with polyurethane foam and fiberglass, and finished with a marble dust.

Callao is backing the project as a tribute to the pope's ties with the city, where he served as the apostolic administrator of the diocese from 2020 to 2021.

"As a Catholic, making Pope Robert Prevost for me is something unique because of... what he represents, the Catholic faith," Gutierrez said.

Standing on a concrete pedestal, the statue will depict the pontiff with open arms, wearing his long papal robe and a crucifix around his neck.

Leo XIV was born in the US city of Chicago but lived in Peru for more than two decades, where he was a missionary and bishop in Chiclayo.

The northern city will be among his stops in Peru, along with Lima, Cusco and Pucallpa.

He will visit Montevideo, Paysandu and Florida in Uruguay from November 6 to 8 and then head to Argentina, where he will visit Buenos Aires, Cordoba and Lujan, until November 11.

M.Carneiro--PC