An Australian Catholic school (with past sex abuse cases involving teachers and students) has ceded to pressure from the public and covered up a new statue on campus. It was only one week ago that the Blackfriar Priory School, in Adelaide, South Australia, unveiled a memorial in honor of St. Martin de Porres.

Being one of the great figures of the Dominican religious order during the 1500 and 1600's, St. Martin de Porres has been celebrated worldwide for his social justice work and charity with the poor in Peru. As such, it isn't uncommon to see him represented in portrait and in stone as a giver of food.The statue shows a saint giving a boy a piece of bread but some say that appears to depict a saint coaxing a child into a sexual act.

Many parents and members of the community surrounding the K-12 school have been voicing their objection to the statue over its suggestive nature. Part of the reason some were particularly incensed had to do with the fact that Briarfriar wound up being the site of a 1970's and 80's sex abuse scandal that unraveled with the conviction of its former headmaster in 2005.

As a result, Principal Simon Cobiac ordered it to be covered with a black tarp until the administration figures out a lasting solution for the project.

“The School apologizes for any concerns and publicity generated by this matter and is taking action to substantially alter the statue," a statement issued by Cobiac reads.

Source: nydailynews.com