Three accused of stealing sculpture from Catholic Sacred Heart Cathedral in Bendigo
An elderly man and two youths have allegedly stolen a 100-kilogram sculpture that caused outrage in a regional Victorian church community.
At nearly 2 metres tall, the statue named Transcendence was carved from a century-old pine tree, and depicts a naked man and woman.
It was part of a temporary art installation inside the Catholic Sacred Heart Cathedral in Central Bendigo.
Victoria Police alleged the statue was stolen on Saturday, and said there were three suspects.
"The offenders used a trolley to wheel a large sculpture out of the property," a police statement said.
"A witness followed the males and observed them load the sculpture into a white van.
On Monday morning, the sculpture was found dumped and damaged — without its veil — at St Killian's Church, a short distance from the cathedral.
The statue's presence reportedly upset some parishioners, who objected to what the Sandhurst Diocese described as an "occult element" in the artwork's inspiration.
Bishop Shane McKinley of Sandhurst said the reference was never made inside the church, but on the artists website, and had since been removed.
"This possibility is something that we take extremely seriously," he said.
Artist Ben Wrigley said he could not quite fathom the reaction to Transcendence, a work he described as the "transcendence of being bound by the dense material world".
"I feel for them," he said.
"Being upset, being angry, to the point where one will cross the boundary of one's faith, that's a very strong emotion."
Transcendence is one of five sculptures on display across Bendigo, all carved from the same 100-year-old pine tree.
The Catholic Sandhurst Diocese was unavailable for comment.
Wrigley said he was relieved the artwork had been found.
"I'm relieved, I can rectify it, no problem," Wrigley said.
Police urged anyone with information about the alleged theft to contact Crime Stoppers.
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