“Angels Unawares” Unveiled in Vatican for World Day of Migrants and Refugees

On Sunday, during a special Mass on the 105th World Day of Migrants and Refugees, Pope Francis unveiled a monument to migration in St. Peter’s Square as a homage to the displaced.

The work, “Angels Unaware,” by the Canadian artist Timothy P. Schmalz, depicts 140 migrants and refugees from various historical periods traveling on a boat, and includes indigenous people, the Virgin Mary and Joseph, Jews fleeing Nazi Germany and those from war-torn countries.

It was requested by the Vatican’s Office of Migrants and Refugees and funded by the Rudolph P. Bratty Family Foundation.

Pope Francis said in a statement for the NY Times the statue had been inspired by a passage in “Letter to the Hebrews,” from the New Testament: “Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.”

More information about the World Day of Migrants and Refugees can be found here

MHC