Francis, who as Jorge Mario Bergoglio was archbishop of the Argentine capital until his election as pontiff in March, reportedly objected to the statue because he is "against the cult of personality".
He telephoned Catholic clergy at the Metropolitan Cathedral of Buenos Aires to request that it be "removed immediately".
The life-sized statue, which was installed about 10 days ago, depicts Francis in a white cassock and skull cap, smiling and waving with his right hand.
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