Archbishop José Ángel Saiz Meneses has called for Catholics in the city of Seville to unite and forgive following the recent restoration of a famous statue of the Virgin Mary, which caused upset and consternation among many when it was unveiled on 21 June.
Some Catholics in the Andalusian city have been left distraught by the restoration of an acclaimed 17th-century statue of the Virgin of Macarena, known locally as La Macarena, that included the effigy being given extra-long eyelashes. Due to the scale of the backlash, the statue was quickly removed and underwent two subsequent restorations in the space of 24 hours in an attempt to placate its critics – but the distress and upset continued.
