Gemelli's John Paul II Statue Unveiled

(July 02, 2009) A statue of John Paul II titled "Be Not Afraid," was inaugurated Tuesday at Rome's Gemelli hospital. The new sculpture was blessed by Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, archbishop of Krakow and personal secretary and of the Polish Pope during his 27 years of pontificate. The Tuscan sculptor, Stefano Pierotti, was present at the inauguration as well as the mayor of Rome, Gianni Alemanno. Cardinal Dziwisz recalled that the Gemelli hospital was the first place outside the Vatican walls that John Paul II visited as Pope on October 18, 1978, two days after his election. John Paul II was taken to Gemelli on nine occasions: the first on May 13, 1981, after the assassination attempt in St. Peter's Square, and the last in March 2005, shortly before his death. He spent a total of 153 days and 152 nights there. The Gemelli was his original "cathedra" the prelate said, and thus the name of the hospital will remain inseparable from the memory of this Pope. The cardinal stated, "From the tenth floor window, he blessed the suffering crowd, and now from the centre of the square -- where his sculpture was raised with exquisite sensitivity -- he will continue to watch over this site and to bless those who come, and those who here serve the sorrow of mankind." The sculpture took about seven months to complete. It weights around 18 tons and measures 3.05 meters [10 feet] tall.