Christ statue in Peru suffers smoke damage

Last weekend, just days before Pope Francis' visit to Peru, a fire was set that damaged part of Cristo del Pacifico, a 120 foot tall statue located in Lima, the nation's capital.

According to RPP News, five fire department units responded and put out the fire Jan. 13, which caused noticeable smoke damage to the back part the the statue.

Incendiaron el Cristo del Pacífico o “Cristo de lo Robado”, no sufrió da√±os de consideración. pic.twitter.com/85fqMbN0nf

— Mona Paredes (@monaparedes) January 13, 2018

“So far the motive leading to the incident is unknown; but the theory has come up that this may have been done  because of Pope Francis's upcoming visit,” RPP stated.

Cristo del Pacifico is a 70 feet tall sculpture set on a 50 foot base and can be seen from several areas of the capital. It was dedicated June 29, 2011.

This article was originally published by our sister agency, ACI Prensa. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.