It’s a sculpture that was turned down by Toronto’s  St. Michael’s Cathedral and New York City’s St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

And after  two years of looking for a home, an Ontario man’s sculpture of a life-sized Jesus sleeping on a park bench – finally has a place to rest- the Vatican.

44 year old artist Timothy Schmalz from St. Jacobs, Ontario created a figure, almost completely wrapped in an old, rough blanket – and the only thing that’s visible is his feet with the wounds he suffered from being crucified.

Last week the artist  brought the original 2.5-metre-long wooden model of his “Jesus the Homeless” sculpture to St. Peter’s Square to present to Pope Francis – who blessed it and called it “beautiful.”

The wooden model  will stay in one of the Vatican houses and a  full-sized bronze version will be placed at an outdoor location near St. Peter’s Basilica – once the city of Rome approves it.