Statue of Pope Raises Church-State Issues In France

In the French town of Ploermel, a new statue of Pope Paul II is raising controversy. The International Herald Tribune yesterday reported that the statue was unveiled this weekend on a square named for the Pope after his death last year. Opponents argue that the statue violates France's 1905 law on separation of church and state. The town's mayor says that the statute was a gift from the artist and that no public funds were used for it. However a group trying to block the statue says that the town approved spending $172,00 for the statue's construction and the inauguration ceremony.