'Homeless Jesus' statue unveiled at Manila Cathedral on Palm Sunday

Manila Archbishop Jose F. Cardinal Advincula unveiled the "Homeless Jesus" statue at the Manila Cathedral on Palm Sunday.

Crafted by Canadian artist Timothy Schmalz, the image depicts Jesus as a homeless man sleeping on a bench while wrapped in a blanket. Jesus is identifiable by the crucifixion wounds on his feet.

Shown to the public just in time for Holy Week, Manila Cathedral hoped 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 previous press statement.

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

—Franchesca Viernes/MGP, GMA News