Giant Crucifix Dedicated To Pope Crushes Man To Death
A 21-year old Italian man, Marco Gusmini has died after being crushed by a giant crucifix erected in honour of Pope John Paul II.
Marco was said to be posing for a photograph with a group of friends in front of the 100ft-high cross near the Alpine village of Cevo when it suddenly collapsed.
The collapsed cross
This is coming days before the canonisation of Pope John XXIII in a ceremony at the Vatican on Sunday, an event that is unprecedented in the 2,000 year history of the Catholic Church. John Paul II and his predecessor, Pope John XXIII, are due to be declared saints on Sunday.
Mayor of Cevo, Silvio Citroni said, "It is an inexplicable tragedy. A young life, so many hopes, destroyed this way.
"The boys ran in every direction when they heard the sound of the wood splintering. Unfortunately, that poor boy went the wrong way."
He added that further celebrations to mark the pope's elevation to sainthood had been cancelled.
Report has it that Marco coincidentally lived with his family on a street named after John XXIII.
The Jesus Christ statue on the cross is six metres high and weighs 600 kilogrammes and the crucifix was curved and fixed to the ground with cables.
Its unusual shape was intended to represent the scars of World War II.
Source: Legit.ng
