A statue of a homeless Jesus done by a Canadian sculptor has Pope Francis as an admirer.
The sculpture is of a life-sized Jesus sleeping on a park bench with his bare feet, wounded from his crucifixion, poking out from under a blanket.
Sculptor Timothy Schmalz brought the original wooden model of his sculpture to St. Peter’s Square last Wednesday to present to the pope.
After his weekly general audience, the pope prayed over the statue and blessed it, Schmalz said.
“It is very, very amazing for a sculptor to have that,” he said. “After, the Vatican officials introduced me to Pope Francis and he said he thought Jesus the Homeless was a beautiful sculpture. So needless to say, I’m very excited about that.”
Schmalz, 44, is a sculptor of Christian-themed works who lives in St. Jacobs, near Waterloo. For about two years after he created his 2 1/2-metre-long sculpture, he couldn’t find a location to display it, he said. It was turned down by both St. Michael’s Cathedral in Toronto and St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City.
“Jesus the Homeless” eventually found its way to Regis College, the Jesuit school of theology at the University of Toronto. Since it was installed in April, two of its admirers in the Catholic Church recommended Schmalz’s work to the Vatican, he said. A few weeks ago, he got the invitation to last Wednesday’s papal audience.
Sources
The Star
The Spec
Examiner
Image: Vatican Photo/The Star
News category: World.
