VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- In St. Peter's Square, in the shadow of the 17th-century colonnade designed by Italian sculptor Gian Lorenzo Bernini, stands the 20-foot-tall bronze sculpture "Angels Unawares" as a reminder of the plight of migrants and refugees.

During the statue's unveiling in 2019, Pope Francis said he hoped its placement in the square "would remind everyone of the evangelical challenge of welcoming."

Created by Canadian Timothy Schmalz, the statue depicts a boat carrying migrants and refugees from different eras in history. Within the group, a pair of angel wings can be seen.

The inspiration behind his design was a passage from Hebrews 13:2, which he said speaks of welcoming strangers, "many of whom have entertained angels unawares."

Before his death April 21 at 88, the pope approved the installation of a second statue by Schmalz near the showers and medical clinic the Vatican runs for people in need.

Titled "Be Welcoming," the bronze statue -- which was unveiled less than a week before the pope's death, depicts a weary traveler when seen from one angle only to be revealed to be an angel when seen from the opposite side. The design was inspired by the same biblical quote as "Angels Unawares."

Speaking to Catholic News Service April 25, Schmalz said that when he showed a small replica of the proposed statue to Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, the papal almoner, in January, the cardinal told him, "This would be perfect right in front of what I'm doing for the homeless."

However, Cardinal Krajewski said, "There's only one person that can make this happen and that's the Holy Father."

"The next day, I was driving to Assisi, and I get a call" from the Polish cardinal, Schmalz recalled. "He says, 'The Holy Father loves the sculpture! In fact, he took my small miniature from me, and he wants 10 (more) miniatures."

Cradling a replica of his "Angels Unawares" statue in his arms, Schmalz said that the pope's approval of his sculptures' installation in "the center of the Catholic Church brings a strong message that all human life is sacred and that it is our spiritual duty to help the poor."

The Canadian sculptor told CNS that some expressed their concerns to Cardinal Krajewski about the statues' placement in St. Peter's Square because "it doesn't match Bernini's colonnade and the sculptures on top" of it.

"Cardinal Konrad said, 'It doesn't matter if it matches Bernini's; it matches the Gospels,'" Schmalz recalled.

"I think that is a perfect quotation that could be applicable to the papacy of Pope Francis. He didn't match the Berninis, but he certainly matched the Gospels, meaning that he was not about ornamentation. And in a sense, he was taking the essence, the heart of Christianity, and bringing it out there," he said.

Reflecting on Pope Francis' death, Schmalz said he "couldn't believe it because I heard he was getting better."

"I oftentimes think," he said, "that he really knew how the world was going to be, and he felt the absolute urgency to show that compassion as much as possible everywhere he went, including the days before he passed away."

"Throughout these years of doing sculptures for the papacy, I wanted to be as authentic in my artistic representations, as (Pope Francis) was in his life, in his actions. And so, the best thing I think that my artwork can do is continue to promote and encourage and celebrate that spirit," Schmalz said.