CNA Staff, Jun 29, 2020 / 14:31 pm
The Archdiocese of St. Louis on Sunday released a statement defending the city's namesake, amid calls from activists to tear down a prominent statue of King Louis IX.
"For Catholics, St. Louis is an example of an imperfect man who strived to live a life modeled after the life of Jesus Christ. For St. Louisans, he is a model for how we should care for our fellow citizen, and a namesake with whom we should be proud to identify," the archdiocese said June 29.
A group of activists on June 27 rallied at the statue, called Apotheosis of St. Louis, which has been a fixture in front of the St. Louis Art Museum for over a century. Leaders of the protests have called for the statues' removal because of St. Louis' "antisemitism [and] Islamophobia."
Numerous statues of historic figures have been pulled down in recent weeks amid ongoing protests and riots throughout the country.