BRAZIL has Christ the Redeemer towering over Rio de Janiero - and now Babinda could have a giant crucifix atop Mt Bartle Frere.
Maverick federal MP Bob Katter has reginited debate about a religious monument on Queensland’s highest mountain, saying the 1622m peak could become a pilgrim’s destination and bring 100,000 people to the Far North each year.
Mr Katter has thrown the first $1000 towards the proposal.
And he told The Weekend Post he would offer a further $1000 if the Catholic, Anglican and Lutheran churches agreed to also be backers.
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The devout Catholic – who is known for finishing his conversations with "God bless" – said there was something in it for everyone if Mt Bartle Frere became a pilgrims’ destination.
He said the idea was an old one but a good one.
"Some people are saying a big cross on top, others, including me, are saying a life-size monument, a crucifix, nativity scene or Jesus down from the cross in his mother’s arms," he said.
"Here we have one of the most beautiful places on Earth, with potential for a pilgrimage trail and whether you’re Christian, pantheist, humanist or into tourism promotion, you’d have to be positive about it.
"When you think of the three biggest tourist destinations in the world you think of Mecca, Sistine Chapel and Jerusalem."
Mr Katter said an illuminated monument could also serve as a marker for a mountain range known for plane crashes, a fact that first encouraged him to work towards a religious marker 10 years ago.
He voiced his opinions at a Babinda Taskforce crisis meeting last week, as a means of keeping the taskforce afloat through management of the venture.
Religious reactions have been mixed, while Babinda Chamber of Commerce president Rod Edwards asked whether the concept was an April Fool’s Day prank.
He called it "ridiculous".
Babinda Catholic Church’s Father Bill Grundy said a giant cross would have to be "40-foot tall" to be seen and a life-size monument would need to be "extraordinarily impressive for people to climb all that way".
The Bartle Frere summit walk is a 15km round trip, described as an extremely demanding rainforest trek by the Wet Tropics Management Authority.
Cairns’ Bishop James Foley said he had almost made it to the often cloud-covered top many years ago, and suggested a highway-side shrine, with views of Mt Bartle Frere, dedicated to road accident victims, might be more functional.
Cairns’ new Lutheran Church pastor David Ziersch said he was not opposed to the concept.
