Following his General Audience on Wednesday, Pope Francis unveiled a new sculpture in St. Peter's Square dedicated to the homeless.
It's a life-size bronze statue titled "Sheltering" by Canadian artist Timothy Schmalz, best known for his "Angels Unawares" sculpture of migrants and refugees, which is installed in a square corner.
A homeless person is covered by a blanket pulled over him by a flying dove in the new sculpture.
"13 Houses Campaign" of the Vincentian Family
It was created to shed light on global homelessness and encourage practical solutions, in keeping with the mission of the "13 Houses Campaign," an initiative of the Homeless Alliance of the Vincentian Family (FHA) that brings together religious congregations, lay associations, and charities inspired by St. Vincent de Paul's life and work.
Through the campaign, the Alliance aims to house 10,000 people worldwide by the end of 2023 in more than 160 countries where the Vincentian Family already works, as part of a larger plan to improve the lives of the world's 1.2 billion homeless people.
Mark McGreevy, FHA coordinator and President of the Depaul International Group, commented on the unveiling of "Sheltering," saying that the statue forces us to be aware of the homeless people around us. "Before we can solve homelessness, we must first understand it," he said.
"We need to stop and listen to homeless people's stories before involving them in long-term solutions."
"The example of Jesus and St. Vincent de Paul inspires us to dream big, but with humility. The hope is that at some point in history, all of humanity will have access to adequate housing ", said Toma Mavri, Superior General of the Congregation of St. Vincent de Paul's Mission and the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul.
Timothy Schmalz has spent the last 25 years sculpting large-scale bronze works that have been installed around the world, including churches in Rome and the Vatican. Much of his work focuses on current social justice issues such as homelessness, poverty, migration, and human trafficking.
He is best known for his lifelike "Homeless Jesus," which depicts Jesus as a homeless person sleeping on a park bench in Toronto, Canada, and the
"Angels Unawares," which was installed in St. Peter's Square and blessed by Pope Francis in 2019.
"Be Welcoming," which depicts an angel disguised as a stranger sitting on a bench with his belongings on his back, was blessed late in September at St. Mary of the Lake Catholic Church in Chicago, USA, by Cardinal Michael Czerny, S.J., Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development.
Schmalz stated earlier this year in an interview with Vatican News that the power of art is "to create awareness in a very subtle and beautiful way to a whole society."
Schmalz's new sculpture was unveiled just a few days before the 6th World Day of the Poor, which will be observed next Sunday, November 13. Pope Francis established the Day in 2016 to commemorate the end of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy. Since 2017, it has been observed on the 33rd Sunday of Ordinary Time.
Source: Vatican News