Sanctuary of Fatima inaugurates “Homeless Jesus”

Today, the Sanctuary of Fatima marked the 7th World Day of the Poor with the inauguration of a sculpture representing “Jesus the Homeless”, by the sculptor Timothy Schmalz

The rector of the institution, Father Carlos Cabecinhas, hopes that the sculpture can “raise awareness of a deeper experience of the Gospel of Jesus, who always identifies with the most fragile and those who suffer”.

“Framed in the Prayer Area of this Sanctuary, this sculpture will henceforth remind those who visit the Sanctuary of the drama of those who live without a home, without a house,” the priest told the pilgrims present at the ceremony.

D. José Traquina, bishop of the Diocese of Santarém and president of the Episcopal Commission for Social Pastoral and Human Mobility, presided over Sunday Mass in the Basilica of the Most Holy Trinity this morning, evoking the “hundreds of millions of poor people in the world”.

The bishop of Santarém emphasised that Portugal is “the poorest country in Western Europe”, and called on those in power to take responsibility for “collaborating on social welfare in order to create a more just and peaceful society”.