Topless Femen activist who stole Jesus statue from Vatican released

VATICAN CITY, Dec. 27 (UPI) -- An activist from the group Femen who attempted to steal a Jesus statue from St. Peter's Square while topless on Christmas has been released by the Vatican, according to their social media accounts.

Yana Zhdanova is a Ukrainian activist who shouted "God is woman!" on Thursday and grabbed a statue of the baby Jesus. The group claims she did this because the baby Jesus statue represents the church's desire to take reproductive freedoms away from women and "sexual freedom," as they see it.

Zhdanova has been asked to never return to Vatican City. Femen is known for bearing their breasts as a form of protest, as they believe there is no shame in showing the female body. They regularly refer to themselves as "sexstremists" and pursue goals related to protecting women's rights.