Why do some Greek statues have the penis covered with a fig leaf?

Question

It's weird because I had always heard how the Greeks loved the human form. Also, there are lots of other Greek statues without the penis covered. Why is it that it is covered in some of them?

Answer 1

Censorship by the Roman Catholic Church, which controlled most things from medieval times till present day, and who bought/owned/commissioned most art and artifacts, new and ancient. While they admired the Greek art and artists they though of them as heathen and lacking in proper morality.

Basically the Catholic Church found sexual parts "immodest" and objectionable on many works of art. So objectionable parts were covered by fig leaves. Paintings were also modified in this way. Sometimes these leaves can be removed, sometimes they cannot be removed without damaging the art. The Church saw the body as base and shameful, sex as something for procreation only, while the Greeks celebrated the human frm as a thing of beauty.

Answer 2

The only man painted to have a fig leaf in his penis is Adam. I don't know if their is a Greek statue of Adam somewhere, but in general ancient Greeks created statues of men being naked (in contrast to women, who where almost always sculptured dressed)