Blasphemous Statue Destroyed in Austria
An utterly indecent and blasphemous statue of the Blessed Mother was featured in a gallery of artwork at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Linz, Austria. The show’s theme included various pieces on women’s roles and gender equality.
This statue depicted a pregnant Blessed Mother sitting on a rock, spread eagle, giving birth. The face was grimacing; the clothing on the torso was clingy; the legs were masculine, thick, veined, and muscular; and the feet were enormous. Photos of the statue on the internet only show a side view (which is offensive enough), but one can only imagine the horror of a full-frontal view. Bishop Manfred Scheuer of the Diocese of Linz allowed the show and statue.
In an act of true heroism, an anonymous Catholic destroyed this travesty. To his credit, the vandal tried to email and call the diocese first, expressing his grave displeasure. He stated, “Unfortunately, emails from the Diocese of Linz are ignored, telephone calls are abruptly ended when criticized, and there is no outlet for criticism or even intervention. Therefore, in view of this abominable and blasphemous caricature, urgent and decisive action was required!” In other words, he had no choice.
Of course, the vandal was roundly condemned by both the artist, sculptor, and the diocese. In a prepared statement the episcopal vicar for education of Linz, Fr. Johann Hintermaier said, “If we have hurt people’s religious feelings, we are sorry, but I strongly condemn this violent act of destruction and the refusal to engage in dialogue as well as the attack on the freedom of art.”
We need to unpack this pathetic statement. First of all, the vandal tried to ‘dialogue’ with the diocese but was met with disdain when he openly criticized the piece. Fr. Hintermaier must think that dialogue only applies when you agree with someone. 8,000 people had already signed a petition to remove the statue, but evidently in the diocese of Linz, dissenters are summarily shut down. Not a bit of accompaniment or synodality going on there.
Next, Fr. Hintermaier apologized that the statue may have ‘hurt people’s religious feelings.’ This is just not about our feelings or sensibilities – this statue was aimed at and offended Jesus Christ by depicting His mother in a tawdry and ugly manner. I wonder if Bishop Scheuer or Fr. Hintermaier would like a similar depiction of their mother half-naked in a provocative pose for the world to see. Of course, they would not, as the thought is repulsive to any normal son who loves his mother.
Lastly, the cowardly diocese tried to hide behind a faulty ‘freedom of art’ argument. Granted, an artist can create any piece they desire; however, allowing a blasphemous statue into a cathedral, and a cathedral specifically named after the Blessed Mother, should be a no-brainer. Is there not some review and approval process to ensure that offensive pieces are denied entry?
One can point to the artist Esther Strauss and sculptor Theresa Limburger, who appear on all counts to be radical feminists for this gross caricature of the Blessed Mother. Strauss claimed that all the beautiful statues of Mary were made by the patriarchy, and in her provocative piece, “Mary gets her body back,” whatever that is supposed to mean. Limburger is solidly anti-Catholic and made her feelings clearly known when she stated, “The intolerance, backwardness, and lack of enlightenment in the Catholic Church is shocking.”
However, the full brunt of the blame lays solely at the feet of those so-called Catholics who allowed this horrid piece inside the cathedral, including Martina Resch, co-initiator of the project and a doctoral researcher at the Catholic Private University of Linz. Bishop Scheuer and the priests at the cathedral are also to blame and should have put a stop to this. How could they not see that this statue was morally offensive?
The question remains: Why does this diocese even have a gender-role art display in one of its cathedrals? Traditionally, most churches already have a Mary and St. Joseph statue. These should be what serve as our gender role models, not some crazy depictions created by unstable anti-Catholic people trying to push a radical feminist agenda.
If they had the courage to deny this piece, someone from the diocese of Linz could also have (in charity) let the artist and sculptor know why the statue would not be allowed in the cathedral. Any depiction of Mary as ugly as this could never be an accurate facsimile. As you may recall, the children who saw Mary in the various apparitions worldwide (Lourdes, Fatima, Garanbandal) always said she was the most beautiful woman they had ever seen. This is without even knowing her true identity as the Mother of God! And why was she so beautiful? Because she was without sin, of course. What a missed opportunity to teach, counsel, and evangelize these poor, sorry souls!
We all need to do some reparation for this blasphemy. Perhaps say an extra rosary, angelus, or other Marian prayer and tell Jesus how sorry you are that His beautiful, holy, and loving mother was treated in such a despicable and disgraceful way.