Canada church's baby Jesus statue turns heads

The two-tone look will only be temporary - a stone replacement is planned for next year

A statue of the baby Jesus in an eastern Canada churchyard has been attracting attention after undergoing an unusual restoration.

The white stone statue's head went missing from outside Sainte Anne des Pins church in Sudbury last year, but it's now been replaced by a local artist - using bright orange clay. "It really is shocking to the eyes because of the big contrast in colour," Father Gerard Lajeunesse tells CBC News.

The church struggled to find anybody who would help fix the headless statue after it was vandalised, until artist Heather Wise offered to create a temporary replacement. She told the local Sudbury.com site earlier this month that she plans to carve a permanent head for baby Jesus in stone next year.

Father Lajeunesse has said he's grateful to Ms Wise for acting "out of the goodness of her own heart". He tells CBC that some parishioners have been surprised or disappointed with the statue's new appearance, but replacing the whole thing would have cost up to 10,000 Canadian dollars ($7,500; £6,200). "It's a first try. It's a first go," he says. "And hopefully what is done at the end will please everyone."

Comments on the CBC story range from the amused - a few see a striking similarity to cartoon character Maggie Simpson - to the offended, although some say the artist shouldn't be criticised for making a sincere effort. Others liken it to a now infamous incident in Spain, when an elderly parishioner attempted to restore a fresco of Jesus Christ but ended up botching it.

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