By UCA News Reporter
INDONESIA — Indonesia has inaugurated the world’s tallest statue of Jesus at a tourist site in the North Sumatra province.
The 61-meter-high Jesus Christ the Savior statue is located on Sibeabea Hill, near Toba Lake in Samosir Regency. It was inaugurated by Indonesian Bishops’ Conference president Antonius Subianto Bunjamin of Bandung on Sept. 19.
It is at least 20 meters taller than the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, in Christian-majority Brazil, which stands at 39.6 meters.
According to Bishop Bunjamin, the statue was unveiled after a miniature statue was blessed by Pope Francis at the Vatican embassy in Jakarta on Sept. 6, when he visited the Muslim-majority Southeast nation.
The Holy Cross prelate said the prayer inscribed under the statue on a plate was also signed by Francis.
“What is admired about Jesus the Savior is his infinite love,” Francis said in the prayer.
Bunjamin said, “This is a hill blessed by God, which is expected to be a place that can strengthen the faith of people.”
The Capuchin Archbishop Kornelius Sipayung of Medan Sipayung, who attended the inauguration, said the statue is “a reminder that God has been present in the world.”
“This statue is not only an object of beauty but is a call for humans to be a light for the world,” he said.
Jesus’ open hands symbolize that “Jesus accepts everyone with love,” he added.
North Sumatra, comprising Medan archdiocese and Sibolga diocese, is one of the areas with a high Christian population in Indonesia. According to the Central Statistics Agency, of its 15 million population, Catholics are 1.1 million and Protestants 4.01 million.
