PRIESTS and worshippers have been delayed or prevented from reaching the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro for services by officials looking after the park surrounding the site, it has emerged.

A dispute between the archdiocese of Rio de Janeiro and staff who look after the Tijuca National Park, which surrounds the statue, has led to a police complaint, according to the Roman Catholic newspaper Crux.

The archdiocese paid for the construction of the statue, which was finished in 1931, on top of Corcovado mountain. The mountain top had been given by the government to the Church. Three decades later, the government created a national park around the statue, which is managed by the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation.

The Rector of the Sanctuary of Christ the Redeemer, Fr Omar Raposo, told Crux that park security officers had been blocking staff from reaching the chapel at the base of the statue. He was blocked for several hours from officiating at a baptism, and so was the family of the child.

Fr Raposo said: “I cannot be impeded to get into the monument. That statue is owned by the Church. We have to denounce those cries of abuse of authority and religious intolerance.”

The archdiocese’s legal director confirmed that actions of security staff had been reported to the police, and an inquiry was being carried out.

Shops around the statue have recently been closed by the Institute, and the Church has joined the fight by shopkeepers to try to reopen the shops. Visitors are charged to enter the park, but there is no charge for the statue, although most visiting the area do so to see the statue.

Conservation work for the statue could cost millions each year, the Church said, but it was currently not getting any money from ticket sales.

The archdiocese said that it was in discussions for a new joint management plan with the Institute for the area.