A shiny, coloured penis

Isn’t great, what gets us on international news is a penis and of course the Pope’s visit amid all the abuse allegations raining down all over the place. The Malta Times is of course pushing the penis monument and are now underplaying the international media coverage on the Pope.

For, example it picked up the USA Today and BBC stories on that wonderful work of art, but ignored the UK Times online story that leading atheists in Britain are campaigning to have the Pope arrested for “crimes against humanity” when he visits the UK in September.

Geoffrey Robertson, a barrister, and Mark Stephens, a solicitor, are considering whether they could ask the Crown Prosecution Service to initiate criminal proceedings against the Pope, launch their own civil action or refer him to the International Criminal Court. They question whether the Holy See is a sovereign state as it claims and whether the Pope has diplomatic immunity.

Now I think that asking for the Pope to be arrested is pushing it too far, but so is the phallic monument farce. One wonders whether the Times has succumbed to Curia and government pressure to lay off negative stories on the Pope. It has also changed its online poll from “Will you be attending any of the Pope’s activities?” Where the majority voted “No” to “Should the Luqa monument be taken down?” following the USA Today poll.

The Luqa council has wanted to get rid of it, ever since it was erected; it is only using the Pope’s visit as extra pressure.

Phallic symbols abound we have obelisk cenotaphs and other more subtle penile erections, but I think that the critics of this particular depiction of the male organ are more upset by its artistic lack of aesthetics rather than prudery.


Now as the old adage goes “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder” and one can love or hate a work of art. I personally find it an appalling replica of a totem pole and considering this government’s sanctimoniousness and conservatism I find it odd that it sanctioned a multi-coloured, shiny penis in full public view.