Sculptor Ganni Bonnici today filed a warrant of prohibitory injunction against the Paola Chaplain, Fr Marc Evan Camilleri and Archbishop Charles J. Scicluna to prevent them from damaging or bringing dishonour to his statue of Christ the King after it was replaced another statue which was displayed at the GM De Paule Band Club.

In April 2016, Mr Bonnici’s family had reached out to The Malta Independent to express their shock at the church’s disregard for one of the sculptor’s prized works. The sculptor’s wife Mrs Pauline Bonnici had written a letter to the Archbishop sarcastically thanking him for “his wrongdoings serving as an embarrassment to [her] husband.”

The idea was to make the Ghaqda Socjali Muzikali Kristu Sultan an official band club, which means the GM De Paule Band Club’s ornate statue would have to become the titular statue thus replacing Mr Bonnici’s more minimalist depiction of Christ the King.

In the application, Mr Bonnici is asking the court to stop the plaintiffs from “in any way, without the permission of the complainant, mutilating, modifying, bending or subjecting the artistic work to any other insulting actions.” This goes for both the statue itself, as well as the platform which was also purposely sculpted by Mr Bonnici.

It is also being pointed out that the complainant was specifically commissioned by the Paola Parish to make the titular statue, which design was approved by the diocese, the parish and the Diocese’s Commission for Sacred Art.

The warrant mentions that Mr Bonnici’s former titular statue was moved to the sacristy without any notification or guarantee as to what the plaintiff’s intentions are for it. This includes information that the niche which was made for the complainant’s statue has to be modified to fit the new statue made by statuary Alfred Camilleri Cauchi.

According to Mr Bonnici, if the new statue were to be put into the niche which was purpose-built for his titular statue, this would be “to the detriment of the honour and reputation of his artistic work.” It was also mentioned that, if the niche has to be moved, it will have to be dismantled and that will more than likely damage the structure.

Finally, in the name of intellectual property and copyright laws, the original sculptor is asking the court to accept the warrant and prohibit the Church authorities from “modifying the niche; putting another statue in the designated niche; dismantling the base; any action which may directly or indirectly be of damage to the statue and its niche that the complainant has moral rights as the artist on his art.”