Two statues of two of Liverpool's most esteemed religious leaders have been vandalised.
The faces of Bishop David Sheppard and Archbishop Derek Worlock, whose 15ft bronze statues stand on Hope Street halfway between the Metropolitan Cathedral and Liverpool Cathedral, were spray painted red and purple yesterday.
They were cleaned up "first thing this morning" by a specialist clean-up team, a Liverpool City Council spokesman said.
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Sheppard, a former cricketer who became Bishop of Liverpool in 1975, and Worlock, who became Archbishop in 1976, famously represented friendship between the Church of England and Roman Catholic Church, jointly writing the books Better Together and With Hope in our Hearts.
They united Liverpool's religious communities in times of difficulty, including the aftermath of the Toxteth riots in 1981, the Heysel stadium disaster in 1985, and the Hillsborough Stadium disaster in 1989.
In 2005, The ECHO began a three-year campaign for a statue to be created in their honour, with loyal readers raising more than £60,000. Further donations of £5,000 and £10,000 were made by Liverpool City Council.
The statues, by sculptor Stephen Broadbent, were unveiled in May 2013, with church leaders from all mainstream Christian denominations leading a procession of up to 3,000 Christians through the streets of Liverpool.
Former council leader Mike Storey said: "These were two extraordinary men. Not only were they religious leaders of our community but also men who were there at a momentous time and came together to bring peace and reconciliation to this city."
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