Francis as a Gargoyle: Cologne Cathedral now features “Papal” Grotesque

They think this honors him…

Francis as a Gargoyle:
Cologne Cathedral now features “Papal” Grotesque

(image credit: Joern Sackermann / Alamy Stock Photo)

No, this is not fake news. This is not a Halloween joke. You couldn’t make it up if you got paid to: The Cathedral of St. Peter in Cologne, Germany, has added a new gargoyle to its facade, and it represents none other than the world’s chief apostate, Mr. Jorge Bergoglio, otherwise known by his stage name, “Pope Francis.”

Usually gargoyles are made in the form of notorious sinners, demons, or animals. A standard dictionary definition is: “a grotesquely carved figure of a human or animal”, and “a spout, terminating in a grotesque representation of a human or animal figure with open mouth, projecting from the gutter of a building for throwing rain water clear of a building” (source). Someone in the Novus Ordo Sect apparently thought that “Pope” Francis was a good candidate for such an honor, and voilà, you can see the result just above.

It was the Cologne-based regional tabloid Express that first discovered the grotesque figurine. On Oct. 26, they published an article on it entitled, “Cologne Cathedral: Pope Francis greets visitors at main entrance.”

The figure is merely for decoration and does not actually spout water. It hangs from a baldacchino above the head of a statue of King Solomon. Here is a view of the figurine with a little more context:

(image credit: Joern Sackermann / Alamy Stock Photo)

The images are not manipulated. The official web site of the German Novus Ordo bishops’ conference has published a report on this, and the master builder of Cologne Cathedral, Peter Füssenich, has confirmed that the gargoyled figure is indeed meant to be Francis.

This is really is not surprising. For, as the Italian news agency S.I.R. reports, “other people have been immortalized in the statues and stained-glass windows of the Cologne Cathedral and on its roof”, including not only famous soccer players and carnival characters but also — note well — “the former secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union Nikita Krusciov” among others.

Indeed, Francis fits right in.

Image source: Alamy
License: rights-managed