The Cristo Redentor, or Christ the Redeemer in English, is one of the most iconic statues in the world. Nestled within Brazil’s Tijuca National Park, the 98-foot statue towers over Rio de Janeiro atop Mount Corcovado, drawing in 4 million tourists a year. Yet despite its iconic status, Christ the Redeemer has suffered from a lack of maintenance- escalators, bathrooms, and water fountains can sit for months at a time in disrepair, waiting on the Brazilian government to fix them. Some in the government have found the delays unacceptable. “We cannot accept that Christ the Redeemer, Brazil’s most recognizable international icon, remains in a state of neglect. The church has historically cared for the statue and is best positioned to manage it effectively,” said Senator Carlos Portinho.

In October, Portinho put forward a bill that would carve out a portion of land within the national park. The portion would include Christ the Redeemer and grant full ownership of the area to the Archdiocese of Rio de Janeiro. Currently, the federal government and the diocese split responsibilities over the area, with the church overseeing repairs and maintenance of the statue and nearby chapel, but without the ability to maintain the infrastructure surrounding the statue. Currently, a portion of ticket sales to see the statue, nearly $2 million, goes to the Diocese. The proposed bill would grant full revenue to the church.

Opponents of the bill, however, do not support setting up privatized areas in national parks. “This isn’t just about the Redeemer; it’s about the integrity of all conservation areas in Brazil. Carving out sections of national parks for private management could undermine decades of progress in environmental protection,” said Mauro Pires, president of Brazil’s national parks and conservation units agency (ICMBio). Pires expressed concerns that a private party in charge of a section of the national park could disrupt the ecosystems of such species within the park as the tufted capuchin monkey.

The bill’s proponents, however, have dismissed such concerns, noting the church’s current work in maintaining the area. “We’ve maintained the statue and its immediate surroundings responsibly. Our aim is to enhance the visitor experience, not to harm the environment,” said Claudine Milione Dutra, legal coordinator for the Archdiocese of Rio de Janeiro. The bill is co-sponsored by Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, son of Brazil’s former president, Jair Bolsonaro. Under Bolsonaro’s presidency, budgets for national parks were slashed, which Pires cited as the reason certain repairs had remained undone. So far, the bill has passed in the Senate and is being evaluated by a subcommittee on tourism. Should the subcommittee approve it, the bill will move on to the House of Representatives for a vote.