The statue of Christ the Redeemer, with open arms, is no longer the only representation of Jesus in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). On November 18, a sculpture of the Son of God was installed with a representation not very common in society, but which is well-known by the members of the Vincentian Family: that of Jesus present in the Poor.

The sculpture “Jesus without a roof” has been a gift from the Canadian artist Timothy Schamlz to the Archdiocese of Rio de Janeiro, on the occasion of the Second World Day of the Poor, whose motto is inspired by Psalm 34: “This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him” (Ps 34:7).

“The words of the Psalmist become our own whenever we are called to encounter the different conditions of suffering and marginalization experienced by so many of our brothers and sisters whom we are accustomed to label generically as ‘the poor’,” Pope Francis said in his message on the occasion of the date.

The statue is exposed in the square in front of the Metropolitan Cathedral of San Sebastian, next to the statue of Mother Teresa of Calcutta, 700 meters from the headquarters of the National Council of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in Brazil (CNB/SSVP).

Those who visit the city will find the image of Jesus lying on a bench in the plaza, using a thin blanket. The work refers to the more than 4,600 people living on the street in the capital of the state of Rio de Janeiro.

The statue is a replica of the sculpture donated to Pope Francis in 2016, which is located at the entrance of the Office of Papal Charities, in the Vatican, an organization that has the function of exercising charity towards the poor in the name of the Supreme Pontiff.

In addition to the inauguration of the image, in this World Day of the Poor, there has been a series of special events in Rio: the Cathedral of San Sebastian and the Archbishop of Rio, Cardinal Orani João Tempesta, offered coffee, bath, haircut, help in process of issuing documents, evangelization, mass and lunch to those present in street situations. After the mass, the archbishop blessed the sculpture of Jesus without a roof.

Source: SSVP BRASIL