Why does this French statue of a priest have an erection?

A new artwork in a French church has raised some pulses but not for the reason you might expect. Instead of erecting a new spire, a statue of Catholic priest Abbé Pierre was presented in a Toulouse with a seemingly aroused appendage.

‘Silentium’ (Latin for “silence”) is the latest work by French artist James Colomina. It depicts Abbé Pierre, the French Catholic priest who founded the Emmaüs movement. He died in 2007, and this year, the Fondation Abbé Pierre and Emmaüs have released reports into investigations that he sexually abused at least 20 people. Included in the allegations are two minors, one of which was an 8-9 year old child.

Colomina’s work is a statue of the disgraced figure lying supine as if on an autopsy table. A white shroud covers the priest, raised around his groyne to suggest an erection.

‘Silentium’ was on show at the Gesù Church for two days, in the Carmes district of Toulouse. The building has been deconsecrated, no longer functioning as a church and is now mostly used for music events.

The choice to hide the statue’s erection behind a sheet is purposeful to reflect the way the Catholic Church has willfully hidden its abuses. “If the Church has tried to hide certain truths, then it is up to society to lift the veil,” Colomina said.

While some people have taken to social media to express their discomfort with the work, Colomina has expressed his considered choice of venue.

“Usually, I’d set up without authorization,” the artist told Le Figaro. “But I did not want to offend Catholics by exhibiting my work in a traditional church.”

The allegations against Abbé Pierre range from the 1950s through to the 2000s and detail how the priest was enabled by Emmaüs management and the church’s idolisation of him.