The "Homeless Jesus" sculpture is due to arrive in Dublin on Good Friday and, following clearance by customs, is expected to be installed on the grounds of Christ Church Cathedral a week later on April 10th.
It was originally intended that the sculpture would be blessed by Catholic Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin and his Church of Ireland counterpart Archbishop Michael Jackson at Christ Church on Good Friday evening, but its journey from Rotterdam is understood to have been delayed by heavy seas.
The 7ft-wide bronze by Canadian sculptor Tim Schmalz depicts a park bench with a faceless cloaked figure lying on it, with holes in its feet.
Anonymous benefactor
"Homeless Jesus" has been presented to Dublin by an anonymous North American Episcopalian benefactor, who is also giving copies to 11 other European cities, including Vatican City in Rome.
A competition for the most appropriate location for “Homeless Jesus” was launched by The Irish Times in December 2014, when readers were asked to nominate preferences.
Readers voted for it to be placed on Molesworth Street or on the plinth at Leinster House, near where homeless man Jonathan Corrie died.
However, Tim Schmalz, a devout Catholic, visited locations on a trip to Dublin in January and decided on Christ Church Cathedral as “it is the spiritual heart of Dublin”.
