The Many Meanings of Rio's Christ Statue

The 125-foot, concrete statue on a mountain overlooking Rio couldn’t appear more straightforward: It’s a giant Jesus with His arms outstretched.

“Christ the Redeemer” — or “Cristo Redentor” — rises almost a half-mile into the Rio sky, and is perhaps the most recognizable Christian image in Latin America.

Yet Cristo’s meaning to Brazilians varies. Some see it as a tribute to Catholicism while others consider it a salvo against secularism. Still others in the rapidly diversifying country consider it a general symbol of welcome, with arms open wide. One of its original creators called it a “monument to science, art and religion.”