New York will meet the Pope with his portrait on the building

Pope Francis will be greeted by a 70-meter-tall portrait of himself on a city building during his visit to New York in September. As the Wall Street Journal reports, work on the “fresco” will be completed in the coming days, and it is based on a photograph of the pontiff, in which he is depicted greeting his flock in the Vatican.

A team of artists working on the portrait uses horsehair brushes, small rollers and about 380 liters of paint. The image will be accompanied by the caption: “Welcome, Pope Francis,” as well as hashtags in English and Spanish to follow the pontiff's first visit to the United States on social media.

The idea of ​​placing a “fresco” on the wall of the building was proposed by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn. It said the image would remain in place for six weeks, reminding New Yorkers and visitors of the pontiff's visit.

Pope Francis will begin his first trip to the United States with a visit to Washington on September 22-24. From the capital, he will go to New York, where he, among other things, will speak from the UN 25 in September, after which he will leave for Philadelphia and on September 27 will leave the United States.