Manila Cathedral to unveil 'Homeless Jesus' image

A life-size sculpture depicting Jesus as a homeless man sleeping on a bench is set to be installed at the Manila Cathedral in time for the Holy Week.

Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula would unveil and bless the image of “Homeless Jesus” on Palm Sunday, April 10 before the 10am Holy Mass at the church’s patio.

It also coincides with Manila Cathedral’s “Alay Kapwa Sunday” wherein special collections are done for its charitable programs dedicated to the poor.

Crafted by Canadian sculptor Timothy Schmalz, the famous artwork shows Jesus identifiable by the crucifixion wounds on his feet sleeping on a bench while wrapped in a blanket.

Manila Cathedral hopes it would “inspire reflections and conversations on how we care for the poor and homeless in the community”.

“May this statue not only become a place for visits or pictures, but a space to deepen our prayer, and to convert and change our hearts,” it said in a press statement on Wednesday.

Earlier, the church thanked Schmalz for choosing the Philippines as the new home of “Homeless Jesus”.

Other replicas of the statue are located in Buenos Aires, Capernaum, New York, Madrid, Melbourne, Rome and Singapore. — LA, GMA News