A Catholic church nativity scene on the outskirts of Boston is sparking discourse after church leaders left out Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus.
In the place of the trio, a sign reading ‘ICE WAS HERE’ sits surrounded by wisemen, camels, livestock and shepherds, keeping watch over an empty manger.
Boston is the latest city facing an onslaught of ICE raids, arresting what they call ‘illegal criminal aliens’ from the streets. The government has claimed it arrested more than 1,400 people in September alone during the first round of immigration raids in the capital city.
The Catholic Archdiocese of Boston ordered Reverend Stephen Josoma of St Susanna Parish to remove the sign, but the church has kept it up, with a sign above the glass display reading: ‘Peace on earth?’
The church, in Dedham, Massachusetts, has defended the display, with Reverend Josoma stressing the sign was to ‘evoke dialogue’, and not sow division.
He said: ‘That some do not agree with our display does not render it sacrilegious.’
The Archdiocese said in a statement that churchgoers have the right to expect that they will encounter genuine opportunities for prayer and Catholic worship — not divisive political messaging.’
At a closer look, a sign attached below the ‘ICE WAS HERE’ reads: ‘The Holy Family is safe in the Sanctuary of our Church. If you see ICE, please call LUCE (an immigrant advocacy group).’
The diocese’s demand to take down the display comes just a month after all US Catholic bishops issued a statement which slammed Donald Trump’s deployment of ICE to cities across America.
‘We are saddened by the state of contemporary debate and the vilification of immigrants. We are concerned about the conditions in detention centres and the lack of access to pastoral care,’ it read.
‘We lament that some immigrants in the United States have arbitrarily lost their legal status.’
Along with sparking discourse inside the Catholic Church, it’s also divided members of the suburban church.
One angry member commented on a photo of the display in the church’s Facebook group, writing: ‘Absolutely disgusting that you would use the nativity scene as a political statement….. You should be ashamed of yourself.’
‘Thank you for prompting this important dialogue within the Catholic community and more broadly. People of good conscience can not stand by silently when injustice is occurring all around us,’ another touted.
One observed: ‘People’s misplaced anger over an inanimate object, rather than over brutal deportations, is truly disgraceful. What would Jesus do?’
What is the Catholic Church’s stance on immigration?
The Catechism of the Catholic Church – which outlines the church’s official teachings and morals – states that ‘prosperous nations are obliged, to the extent they are able, to welcome the foreigner in search of the security and means of livelihood which he cannot find in his country of origin.’
Before his death earlier this year, Pope Francis spoke out and said that driving away migrants was a ‘grave sin’.
Since taking up the papacy, Pope Leo has spoken out about the treatment of migrants in ICE custody. Earlier this year, he called for ‘deep reflection’ on how they were treated.
It’s not the first time a nativity scene in the Catholic Church has angered congregants over political messaging.
Last year, Pope Francis sent a clear message to Israel while unveiling St Peter’s Basilica’s nativity scene – featuring baby Jesus, lying on a manger lined with the Palestinian keffiyeh.
The pope said: ‘These nativity scenes remind us of those who, in the land where the Son of God was born, continue to suffer due to the tragedy of war.’
The keffiyeh, a black and white scarf worn by Palestinians, is a symbol that is commonly used to demonstrate support towards the state.
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