Brazil’s iconic Christ the Redeemer statue is caught in a battle between church and state

CNN — Perched high atop Corcovado Mountain, Christ the Redeemer is more than a religious symbol or tourist attraction — it’s an enduring icon of Brazilian identity. A monument in the forest Built in 1922 by the Catholic Church, the Christ the Redeemer statue is inside the Tijuca National Park, a sprawling 3,953-hectare expanse of restored Atlantic Forest recognized as one of the world’s first large-scale reforestation projects in 1861, more than a decade before Yellowstone’s founding. “This park is far more than just a backdrop to the Redeemer,” says Mauro Pires, president of Brazil’s national parks and conservation units agency, ICMBio. ‘A dangerous precedent’ Under the proposed legislation, the Church would gain control over the statue and its immediate surrounding area, along with its infrastructure, and become separate from the National Park. “Carving out sections of national parks for private management could undermine decades of progress in environmental protection.” The park’s fragile ecosystem includes species such as the tufted capuchin monkey and the coati, a Brazilian ringtail.