French court decides to take down Virgin Mary statue

A court has given the town of Publier three months to remove its statue of the Virgin Mary to comply with a national ban on religious symbols in public spaces, reports BBC.

If it fails to do so, it will be fined €100 (£80; $105) a day. Mayor Gaston Lacroix said he will try to relocate the marble statue on private land.

The image of the mother of Jesus has been standing on the shores of Lake Geneva since 2011. It has been the subject of local controversy for some years after it was paid for with municipal funds.

The decision to remove the statue has been criticised on social media, with some wondering whether freedom of expression had been curbed.

Publier is a city in the department of Haute-Savoie, in eastern France.

Read also

Tore down banners and assaulted people: Footage of OCU member shared online

The man in the footage is initially seen trampling on banners, assaulting believers, and later posing with a seized Orthodox relic and a candle.

Polish Church celebrates 100th anniversary of autocephaly

The official celebrations began with a Divine Liturgy at St. Mary Magdalene Cathedral in Warsaw, led by Metropolitan Sawa of Warsaw and All Poland.

Catholic hierarch: Vatican Synod is an abomination

Bishop Strickland urges U.S. bishops to oppose Pope Francis' teachings, calling them "deadly falsehoods."

MinCult criticizes Kyiv authorities over parking project on Stary Kyiv Hill

This plot of land is located in the central historical area of Kyiv, near landmarks such as St. Sophia Cathedral, Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, and within the protected zone of St. Andrew's Church.

KDA representative participates in International Forum on Tolerance

The event was attended by representatives of various religious organizations and national-cultural communities of Kyiv.

"Please die, human": AI gives unexpected response to user

The Gemini neural network politely asked a user to die, claiming humanity is a burden and waste of time and resources.