A STATUE of the crucified Christ which fell from its 20-foot cross in west Belfast is to be examined to assess the extent of damage, the Catholic Church has said.
A spokesman for the diocese of Down and Connor said the iron join holding the figure outside St Paul's Church on the Falls Road appeared to have "worn away".
The Irish News yesterday reported how the landmark statue had been discovered lying damaged on the ground after coming down on Tuesday night.
Shocked clerics and parishioners moved quickly to take it away.
'The Passion of Christ' is an instantly recognisable feature of the Falls Road, standing beneath trees opposite the Royal Victoria Hospital.
It was unclear last night how long it would take for it to be re-instated in the grounds of the church.
The diocesan spokesman said the statue would be assessed to establish what happens next.
"We need be appraise the damage and see if it can be repaired," he said.
"Then a decision will be taken whether it can be repaired or replaced. The nature of the damage will dictate what is needed after it is assessed.
"It is believed that the join between the corpse and the cross had worn away and it may have come down due to that.
"There was no act of vandalism involved at all."
