Seems a candidate brought a statue of Mary to a political debate, and created an unholy mess:

Four mayoral hopefuls took the stage at the Providence Career & Technical Academy auditorium on Wednesday in a debate centered on the minority community, following a more than one-hour delay in which Democratic mayoral candidate Christopher F. Young was removed.

State Rep. Steven M. Costantino, City Councilman John J. Lombardi, former Housing Court Judge Angel Taveras and Jonathan Scott answered questions on immigration, police oversight, public education, housing and economic development.

Young was escorted out of the event by the police after he refused to take down a large statue of the Virgin Mary that he had placed on the candidates’ table.

Doris De Los Santos, president of the Rhode Island Latino Civic Fund, which sponsored the forum, said candidates were told not to bring props or signs to the debate stage. Young argued it was a question of free speech: “The statue stands for my faith. I believe I have a right to be here with my faith.”

As debate organizers and 10 police officers asked Young to leave the stage or remove the statue, about 200 registered attendees waited in the humid hallway outside the auditorium.

“To have one person put a damper on an important political process is selfish,” said Michael Van Leesten, one of a handful people in the auditorium to watch the debacle unfold.

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