Multiple paintings depicting George Floyd as Jesus Christ are currently on display at The Catholic University of America's Columbus School of Law and its campus ministry office, The Daily Signal reported Monday.
The painting by Kelly Latimore, titled "Mama," shows a mother mourning her dead son, evoking Michelangelo's "La Pieta," which depicts the Virgin Mary holding Jesus Christ.
Blayne Clegg, the former Catholic University College Republicans president, told Fox News on Tuesday he was shocked when he noticed the painting hanging outside the law school's chapel a few weeks ago.
"There's a fine line between recognizing the innate dignity and righteousness of human beings that are made in the image of God and embracing brazen, progressive politics," Clegg told the outlet.
According to Clegg, the student body's reaction to the painting has been "universally negative."
"I haven't found anybody who's been able to give a serious theological justification for this kind of heretical, blasphemous idolatry," the student said.
The university unveiled the "icon" during Black History Month, according to a March news release from the law school's website.
"The image is evocative of the Pietà – the Mother of Sorrows ... may Mary, the Mirror of Justice, hear the cry of all who have known the sorrow of losing a loved one to violence and injustice," the description posted with the painting reads.
When interviewed by The Christian Century in April, Latimore stated, when people ask, "Is it George Floyd or Jesus?" Her answer is "Yes," implying it symbolizes both.
The school's vice president of communications responded to Fox News' inquiries regarding the icon, reiterating the position of the university's press release in March.
"There are those who would like to see George Floyd as the male figure in the icon," the statement read. "That is not how we read it. The image represents to our community a good-faith attempt to include religious imagery on campus that reflects the universality of the Catholic Church."
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