Paris authorities didn`t give their permission to construct a memorial to the Blessed Pope John Paul II by the President of the Russian Academy of Arts Zurab Tsereteli near the Cathedral of the Polish Catholic Mission in France.

The head of the Polish Catholic Mission in France prelate Stanislav Ezh said that the authorities in Paris made this decision based on aesthetic considerations: according to the assessment of the expert commission, the monument that would be 3.6 meters high would not fit into the architectural style of the Polish Church. The priest officially applied for the permission to install the monument on the steps of the Cathedral of the Polish mission in June 2010, noting in his statement that the entire project would not cost a dime for the budget of Paris - all costs would be paid by the mission.

A few months later the city authorities announced that the project of the monument had to be approved by a special commission which would evaluate the feasibility of "the placement of works of art in the public space of the city". Finally the prelate Stanislav Ezh got the refusal from the authorities.