Rome 'decorum cops' remove mural of graffiti-artist Pope

A larger-than-life mural of Pope Francis showing the pontiff as a sly graffiti artist painting peace signs on a wall near the Vatican has been taken down by Rome's "decorum cops" just few hours after it was set up on Wednesday.

The mural which display the Pope on a step ladder playing a game of tic-tac-toe by painting circular peace signs in place of zeros while a Swiss Guard in a ballooned uniform acting as a surveillance against witnesses or police was painted by street artist Mauro Pallotta on paper in his studio and pasted it with glue and lacquer on a corner near the Vatican during the night.

The Decorum Squad of the City of Rome carrying city sanitation workers, arrived early Wednesday afternoon in a maroon van and blasted the artwork off the wall with high-pressure water sprays.