An 45-centimetre-high silver miniature statuette of Antonio Sciortino's Christ the King monument, symbolising the island's Christian roots, will be Archbishop Paul Cremona's gift to Pope Benedict XVI.

The hand-chiselled statuette, which weighs two kilograms,was commissioned to artist Christopher Ebejer and manufactured by Laga Company Limited. This is the same company that manufactured the silver bas-relief of Caravaggio's The Beheading of St John the Baptist, which was presented to the Pope by Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi in 2007.

Some of Mr Ebejer's public monuments include Pietro Paolo Floriani in Floriana, The Fisherman in Spinola Bay, St Julians, Carm Lino Spiteri at Mellieħa, Youth and Life in Qrendi and the Mater Dei Hospital monument that is expected to be unveiled in May.

The model on which the silver version is based was first sculpted in clay and it took several hours for the artist to refine the details. It took almost two months to complete.

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