After Pope Francis Blesses Jesus the Homeless Artwork, Statue Is Stolen

Canadian Christian sculptor Tim Schmalz created 'Jesus the Homeless' which Pope Francis blessed earlier this year. (Photo: CTV Screenshot)



A statue depicting Jesus as a homeless man that the pope blessed last month, has been stolen from outside a Toronto church.
Created by Canadian artist Tim Schmalz, the sculpture, "Jesus the Homeless," was recently cast into the spotlight when Pope Francis blessed it in Vatican City on Nov. 20. After its trip to Rome, the statue was kept outside the Ontario-based Church of Saint Stephen-in-the-Fields, before it was taken on Nov. 30.
Maggie Helwig, who pastors the church where the statue was stolen, speculated that the burglary was prompted by individuals looking to make a quick profit.
"Somebody looked at it and thought 'I could get a pile of cash for that,'" Helwig told The Star.
Helwig said she was saddened by the loss of a piece of artwork depicting a Christ she felt spoke to the needs of the community in the area.
"The biggest concern for me is that we have lots of homeless and marginalized people around this church, and this was the first depiction of Jesus they could relate to," Helwig said. "It's not so much a theft from the church as a theft from the community."
"It's very sad that someone would do this. The community and especially the marginalized people in this community responded powerfully to this statue," she added.
Schmalz, who had just returned from the trip to Vatican City, had a temporary agreement to keep the statue at Helwig's church and was looking for a place for the statue to be placed permanently.
"To have Pope Francis bless your sculpture is one of the most amazing experiences possible," he told CTV Kitchener.
The project took Schmalz eight months to complete and was inspired by an encounter with a homeless person.
"[The piece] is a visual translation of what I think is one of the most important things in the gospels … that when we see the most marginalized people, we should think of Jesus," the artist said.
"If they see that visual representation, they might be a little more gentle and introspective when they think of the marginalized people," he added.
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