Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Oct 12, 2011 / 18:00 pm
On the same day that Brazilian Catholics honor their patroness, Our Lady of Aparecida, the country is celebrating Oct. 12, 2011 as the 80th anniversary of Rio’s famous “Christ the Redeemer” statue.
“The monument is an icon of Rio de Janeiro,” said Rio's Archbishop Orani João Tempesta.
He said the statue “represents the Brazilian citizen: as a person who follows Jesus Christ, and welcomes others, as the monument does with its open arms.”
Rio de Janeiro's inhabitants are not the only ones celebrating the statue's 80th year. Believers throughout Brazil feel blessed by the presence of the Redeemer atop Mount Corcovado.