A lay Catholic group has called on the Government to abandon plans to erect the Spike in Dublin's O'Connell Street.
Describing itself as "a lay voluntary group to promote the proper understanding of the Millennium and 2000 years of Christianity", Millennium Ireland said it had hoped the Government and Dublin Corporation "would understand the significance of the occasion by erecting a statue of Christ the King or of St Patrick in O'Connell Street or in some other prominent position."
In a letter to the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, the group chairman, Mr John O'Halloran, said: "the members of the National Millennium Committee whom you appointed, apparently have failed to understand that we are celebrating the birth of Christ, even though your Government offices have just been closed for four days to mark the occasion.
"We have learned today that you and your Government, through the Minister for the Environment, have given approval to Dublin Corporation for the erection of a meaningless £3 million Spike on O'Connell Street.
"This is happening at a time when Dublin Corporation is being threatened with proroguement or dissolution by your Government because of shortage of funds for essential garbage collection."
Mr O'Halloran asked that the decision to build the Spike "which for many people resembles a massive hypodermic needle" be reversed and "that the Government spends a few thousand pounds on a simple Christian statue or monument in Dublin to mark the real significance of the Millennium - the 2,000th anniversary of the birth of Christ".
