By Lisa Zenga

On his way to Malta on Saturday, Pope Francis receives a painting by an African migrant depicting his shipwreck as he travelled across the Mediterranean Sea where his friends died.

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During his nearly two-hour flight from Rome to Malta, Pope Francis was greeted with a special gift: a painting made by Daniel, an African migrant he will meet on Sunday afternoon at the “Pope John XXIII Peace Lab” in Hal Far.

The picture was consigned to him by Spanish journalist Eva Fernández, of the Cope Catholic network. 

It represents Daniel’s own shipwreck as he travelled on a rubber dinghy boat across the Mediterranean to enter Europe, leaving behind his companions whom he wasn’t able to save.

A scarring experience

This tragedy has left a deep scar in Daniel’s heart. “I’m not sure if this painting reflects what I really feel, because my heart is still bleeding,” he says in a letter accompanying the painting. “A part of my soul was ripped out that day.”