In the framework of Jubilee 2025, pilgrims visiting Rome will be able to embark on a unique spiritual journey, guided by the voice of artist  Timothy Paul Schmalz.

The proposal, titled Connecting Pilgrims Through Compassion, offers an urban pilgrimage through various key locations in the Eternal City, home to eight sculptures by the renowned Canadian sculptor. Through this route, visitors will experience a physical and spiritual journey, in tune with the profound meaning of the Jubilee: the search for renewal, meaning, and mercy.

Compassion is the common thread that unites all the sculptures, inspired by the biblical passages of Hebrews 13:2 and Matthew 25. Each work reminds us that acts of mercy are also encounters with Christ. According to Schmalz, “Each sculpture is designed to speak the language of compassion and awaken the pilgrim’s consciousness.”

The tour is accompanied by an audio guide narrated by the artist himself, offering a personal and contextual interpretation of each work.  The audio guide can be accessed by scanning a QR code available at each location. Along the way, participants are invited to recognize Christ in the most vulnerable and to live their faith through concrete acts of compassion and justice. Thus, walking through Rome becomes an act of reflection and inner commitment.

A tour of faith and art through Rome

The route begins in St. Peter’s Square with Angels Unawares, a sculpture blessed by Pope Francis in 2019 during the 105th World Day of Migrants and Refugees. The life-size bronze work depicts a group of migrants and refugees from diverse cultural and racial backgrounds and historical periods. Standing shoulder to shoulder on a raft, angel wings emerge from between them, a symbol of the sacred present among the marginalized.

The second stop is Be Welcoming, installed on April 15, 2025, also in St. Peter’s Square, with the aim of inspiring an openness of heart towards the poor.

At the Old Hospital of the Holy Spirit, pilgrims will be able to contemplate When I Was Sick and When I Was Hungry and Thirsty, two works that address human suffering and the act of alleviating it as deeply sacred gestures.

Further on, in the Minor Basilica of San Lorenzo in Lucina, the sculpture When I Was a Stranger challenges the viewer to the question of welcoming strangers. The tour continues in the Basilica of San Pietro in Vincoli with When I Was Naked, and then in Piazza Sant’Egidio with the poignant Homeless Jesus, already installed in over 150 cities around the world.

The pilgrimage culminates in the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls with  When I Was in Prison , a work that confronts the reality of incarceration from an evangelical and humanizing perspective.

Connecting Pilgrims Through Compassion is not just an artistic endeavor, but a true inner pilgrimage. At the heart of Jubilee 2025, this experience seeks to renew the spirit of thousands of visitors, inviting them to rediscover the beauty of compassion and the transformative power of art.

For more information and to access the full tour, please visit:  connectingpilgrims.com .