A Scottish artist says he was “extremely proud” when he received a medal from Pope Francis for his work. The pope was given a print of “Throwaway Peo-ple” by Michael McVeigh by members of the Church of Scotland in the Vatican Nov. 4.
McVeigh is regarded as a modern-day folk artist whose work depicts everyday life in Scotland, and ‘Throwaway People’ is an expression of the plight of those on the margins of society. The artist was born in Dundee, where he studied Drawing and Painting at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art from 1977–1982.
Rt. Rev. Sally Foster-Fulton, the moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, told the artist that ‘Throwaway Peo-ple’ is an “expression of the fragility of life and how easy it is to fall through the cra-cks, and it is a print that I have bought myself.”
“I presented it to Pope Francis and explained the story behind it to him,” she said. “He turned it over and wrote on the back in Italian and said ‘I don’t want to forget what you just said’. You have shared your gift with the pope, it really resonated with him, and in return he asked me to give you this Papal medal as a token of his appreciation,” Foster-Fulton said. ‘Throwaway People’ by Michael McVeigh. The Moderator presented a print to Pope Francis at the Vatican earlier this month.