One of the most iconic moments of Pope Francis' papacy came when he embraced two of his friends at the Wailing Wall. The image resonated because Abraham Skorka is Jewish, and Omar Abboud is Muslim. The three leaders of different faiths came together to demand peace.
During a general audience, the Argentine artist Gustavo Masó presented a painting inspired by the scene to Pope Francis.
GUSTAVO MASí?
Author, 'Crossing the Invisible'
'I took that as a nudge, we'll say, from which to begin to build the image aesthetically. It is also an interreligious meeting. Then, I found it interesting that they are three Argentines and they did not have hurt feelings. I thought it would be interesting to capture that moment.'
He tried to include in the painting the three fundamental books of the world's three biggest monotheistic religions: the Bible, the Koran and the Torah. Omar Abboud, the Muslim representative, signed on transparent paper since Islam does not allow writing on the Koran.
GUSTAVO MASí?
Author, 'Crossing the Invisible'
'Pope Francis took part with a Bible, also on the cover, with the word peace. They are the three words written in three languages: Arabic, Hebrew and Spanish.'
It was the first work that Gustavo Masó made for the Pope, who personally advised him to create something about the bond between different religions.
GUSTAVO MASí?
Author, 'Crossing the Invisible'
'A bond was established with the Vatican last year once I finished these two works to mark the canonization of Pope John Paul II and John XXIII. We agreed to carry out a new work with an interreligous character.â?
The historical hug made headlines worldwide. Gustavo Masó added that he wanted to amplify that news flash so that it would have enduring power.
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