LONDON, DECEMBER 9: A statue portraying Princess Diana as the Virgin Mary has sparked fury at an art exhibition exploring the idea that royal, sports and showbusiness stars have replaced religion.Diana, killed in a Paris car crash two years ago, is shown as the Madonna in the sculpture by Luigi Baggi being shown at the Tate Gallery in the northern English city of Liverpool.The exhibition shows Diana dressed in the robes of the Madonna and in saintly pose, eyes heavenward. Britain went through an outpouring of public grief after Diana was killed in a car crash in Paris in 1997. Some people even called for her to be made a saint, others said that a national holiday should be created in her memory. Some religious leaders, quoted in Thursday's press, criticised the show as "deeply offensive," while the Bishop of Liverpool, James Jones, said it was a "sign of the times." Pop singer and Christian campaigner Cliff Richard said: ``When it comes to artistic taste, I'm beginning to realise there is a huge gulf between self-styled pundits and the public.''Anthony Kilmister, chairman of the prayer book society, put it more bluntly: ``The idea of Diana as the Virgin Mary is in appallingly bad taste.''Lord Alton, a professor at John Moores University, said he believed many people would find the ``heaven'' exhibition deeply offensive.
