Pope John Paul statue slammed by critics

An unconventional new statue of the late Pope John Paul II has attracted harsh criticism from experts and the Vatican newspaper.The inauguration of the imposing bronze sculpture by Oliviero Rainaldi outside Romes central rail station was meant to round off celebrations to mark the beatification of John Paul, which moves him a major step closer to sainthood.But the statue provoked dismay and angry reactions from newspapers and art critics, who say it fails to capture the essence of the man as an Art critic Achille Bonito Oliva said that the harsh edges of the sculpture had left him perplexed and did not reflect John Pauls gentle, caring nature.Rainaldi said he had not aimed for the sculpture to resemble John Paul exactly but wanted to capture the Polish pontiffs welcoming nature.John Paul died in 2005 and his path to sainthood has been given fast-track treatment by his successor Pope Benedict.