Petition seeks to stop 20-foot statue of Virgin Mary from being set up at California ski resort

A petition online is seeking to stop a ski resort in California from setting up a 20-foot statue of the Virgin Mary, which is meant to be set up next year.

The petition, launched on Dec. 10, states that Mount Shasta Ski Park is a “gathering spot” for the community and that the religious statue being set up at the resort “threatens to alienate members of our diverse community.” As of Monday afternoon, the petition has over 2,000 signatures.

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“We ask the owners of Mount Shasta Ski Park to cease and desist this construction project immediately,” the petition said. “We ask the US Forest Service, with whom the ski park holds use permits, to insist that Mount Shasta Ski Park discontinue this project. We suggest donating the money allocated for this project toward something that might actually benefit the community in a real way, such as a much needed homeless shelter or detox facility.”

The ski resort announced the statue’s construction on Dec. 9 and said that its installation is “very important” to the resort’s owner, Robin Merlo, as it was a goal for both her and her late husband, Ray Merlo, to set it up. The goal of showcasing the statue is not to focus on a religion, but to instead honor “the beauty and spiritual power of the mountain” on the resort, according to a statement on the resort’s Facebook post.

Comments on the social media post have been turned off.

Mount Shasta is located in Siskiyou County in California, with county supervisor Ed Valenzuela stating the owners of the resort can do what they please with the statue, as the statue will be on private property and the ski resort is a private business, according to the Los Angeles Times.

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“It’s the holiday season,” said Valenzuela. “I have better things to think about than a statue going up on private property. The people that are against it, their response would be then don’t go to the ski park.”

Mount Shasta Ski Resort declined to comment.