Can’t have Mary cuddling Jesus

Villanova is nominally a Catholic university. At a Catholic university, you wouldn’t be out of line to expect to see statues of Catholic saints, and perhaps even Jesus, on the campus. So why is a proposal to put up a statue of Mary holding a baby Jesus causing such a furor? Because of why it’s being put up.

A SCULPTURE OF the Virgin Mary and baby Jesus, proposed as a “memorial for the victims of abortion” at Villanova University, has upset some students, including some who oppose abortion.

Villanovans for Life, which spearheaded the monument effort, says the statue “will memorialize those who have died as a result of legalized abortion and all those who suffer physically, emotionally, and/or spiritually due to abortion,” according to the group’s Web site.

... Pro-life freshman Clint Gilliam agrees with the concept of the statue, but thinks its high-profile placement is a bad idea.

“It’s just a little in your face,” he said. “It sort of makes people who don’t believe in those things uncomfortable.”

Adds freshman Peggy Costello, “I’m personally pro-life and I don’t like the statue at all.

“I feel that putting up a statue like that completely counters the diversity we’re trying to advocate or uphold,” said Costello, 19, who thinks the memorial could alienate non-Catholics.

So what does this dastardly statue, this in-your-face triumphalism, this harsh condemnation of women who aborted their children, look like?

Like a woman in love with her Child.  Or as the article describes it:

The statue portrays Mary kneeling and huddled in a fetal position, cradling baby Jesus. It measures 3 feet high, more than 3 feet wide and nearly 2 feet deep.

The sculptor is a Canadian, Timothy P. Schmaltz, who has produced two other copies of the work for churches. The piece is meant simply to convey the image of maternal love as symbolized by Mary and Jesus and is not advertised as an anti-abortion monument.

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