Lisbon, Portugal Reuters —Portugal’s famed street artist, Bordalo II, has broken into a Lisbon venue where Pope Francis will celebrate a mass next week and rolled out a huge carpet of oversized banknotes to criticize how much the state has spent on the event. Artur Bordalo, who goes by the name Bordalo II, poses at his studio in Lisbon, Portugal. Patricia De Melo Moreira/AFP/Getty imagesOfficial estimates in January showed the event would cost 161 million euros ($177 million), to be paid by the government, the Catholic Church, the city council of Lisbon and nearby Loures. Earlier this year, heavy criticism forced the Lisbon city council to cut planned spending on an altar for Francis to celebrate a mass to 2.9 million euros ($3.2 million) from over 5 million euros ($5.5 million). Asked about Bordalo II’s carpet, Lisbon Mayor Carlos Moedas told reporters the artist used his voice to express his concerns and that such protests were normal for these events.

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Persons: Portugal Reuters —, Bordalo, Pope Francis, Francis, ”, Artur Bordalo, Instagram, Patricia De Melo Moreira, Carlos Moedas Organizations: Portugal Reuters, AFP, Getty, Catholic Church Locations: Lisbon, Portugal, Loures, Portuguese