Blackfriars
A Catholic school in Australia received backlash over its seemingly suggestive statue of a saint handing a young boy a loaf of bread. Twitter

An Australian Catholic school came under fire for its "suggestive" statue of St. Martin de Porres feeding a young child a loaf of bread Tuesday after photos emerged on the internet, according to reports. Blackfriars Priory School in Prospect, South Australia, promptly covered up the sculpture with a black cloth after receiving a wave of complaints. The school also hired a local sculptor to help re-design the statue.

Martin de Porres was the illegitimate son of a Spanish nobleman and a freed slave. He was declared to be a sain in 1962 by Pope John XXIII. Blackfriars Priory School's sculpture of the saint was designed to honor the devoted Catholic's "tireless work," but the statue led many to determine their own interpretations of its true meaning.

The statue of Martin de Porres appeared to depict the saint handing a loaf of bread over to a young boy at groin level as the child looks up and reaches for the food.

"The sculpture is a famous depiction of the tireless work of St. Martin de Porres, a Dominican brother, for the poor and downtrodden of the 16th Century," Simon Cobiac, the school's principal, said Tuesday on Facebook. "The two-dimensional concept plans for the statue were viewed and approved by the Executive Team in May but upon arrival, the three-dimensional statue was deemed by the Executive to be potentially suggestive."

"The statue was immediately covered and a local sculptor has been commissioned to re-design it. The School apologizes for any concerns and publicity generated by this matter and is taking action to substantially alter the statue," Cobiac added.

Social media users were quick to insert their thoughts on the school's seemingly "suggestive" statue, which many took the opportunity to poke fun at Blackfriars for, as a result.

Blackfriars Priory School is no stranger to controversy. Ronald William Hopkins, a former teacher at Blackfriars, was jailed for sexually abusing children between 1975 and 1991. Hopkins was initially sentenced to serve a minimum of seven years, but two more men came forward in 2011 with similar reports regarding Hopkins' conduct. Former Blackfriars teachers Stephen John Stockdale-Hall and Albert Davis also came under fire for sexual misconduct with students.

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