This story was updated after the statue’s installation at Holy Rosary Cathedral in May 2017.

A statue of Jesus as a homeless man that has captured attention around the world now has a home in Vancouver.

Holy Rosary Cathedral is the location for the new Homeless Jesus sculpture, which features a life-sized figure of a man sleeping on a park bench and entirely covered by a blanket, save for his pierced feet.

“Vancouver is known far and wide as a place where there’s lots of homeless people,” said cathedral rector Father Stanley Galvon, who arranged for the statue to be brought to the cathedral.

“To some it’s a problem, and to others it’s an opportunity to serve. This art piece is a catalyst to make people think about the situation.”

The Homeless Jesus statue was created by Toronto artist Timothy Schmalz. So far, it’s been installed in almost 40 places around the world, including Dublin, Johannesburg, and the Vatican.

“Ninety per cent of the people, whether they be agnostic, atheist, or Christian, love the sculpture. They love the message. It points to the idea that all of human life is sacred and this is ... one of the great gifts that Christianity brought Western civilization and the world,” Schmalz has said.

Toronto artist Timothy Schmalz, who created the Homeless Jesus statue, talks with Father Stanley Galvon, Archbishop J. Michael Miller, CSB, and Father Robert Wong, SJ, at the statue’s installation at Holy Rosary Cathedral.

In some cities, passersby have mistaken the bronze figure for a real person and dialled 911.

The first Homeless Jesus statue was installed at Regis College at the University of Toronto in 2013 after the city’s St. Michael’s Cathedral turned down the bronze image during massive renovations.

It was first announced that the statue is coming to Vancouver at an annual fundraiser with Archbishop J. Michael Miller in November.