US parish refuses to take down anti-ICE crib

St Susanna's adapted crib

Last week a parish in Massachusetts, St Susanna Parish in Dedham, changed their outdoor Nativity scene - replacing the figures of Mary and Joseph with a sign saying 'ICE was here' in protest at the 'Immigration and Customs Enforcement' raids often targeting churchgoers. Many thousands of people have been arrested across the USA, separated from their families and often taken to unknown locations. Below the message is a smaller sign that reads: 'The Holy Family is safe in our Church ... If you see ICE please call LUCE at 617-370-5023.'

The Archdiocese of Boston objected to the changed crib. Terrence Donilon, a spokesman for the Archdiocese, said in press statement:

"The people of God have the right to expect that, when they come to church, they will encounter genuine opportunities for prayer and Catholic worship-not divisive political messaging. The Church's norms prohibit the use of sacred objects for any purpose other than the devotion of God's people. This includes images of the Christ Child in the manger, which are to be used solely to foster faith and devotion. Regarding the recent incident, St Susanna Parish neither requested nor received permission from the Archdiocese to depart from this canonical norm or to place a politically divisive display outside the church. The display should be removed, and the manger restored to its proper sacred purpose."

Parish priest Father Stephen Josoma, said the parish has no plan to take down the sign and he wanted to discuss the matter with the Archbishop.

"The Vatican itself displays different themed nativities each year highlighting social issues to contemporary life," Fr Josoma said on Monday evening, as he stood outside the church, flanked by supportive parishioners. "Our hope was to similarly evoke dialogue around an issue that is at the heart of contemporary life."

He told the Boston Globe: "You feed the hungry, you take care of the homeless, you clothe the naked, you take care of people and their needs," "(ICE raids) are the complete antithesis of that on so many levels."

This is not the first time St Susanna's has created an unconventional nativity scene.

In 2017, the church listed the cities of mass shootings that year next to their total fatalities. In 2018, they had a depiction of baby Jesus in a cage, as a commentary on the first Trump administration's family separation policy at the US/Mexico border. At the time, Father Josoma said: "We try to take a picture of the world as it is and to put it together with the Christmas message."

Other church around the world have also created unconventional nativity scenes and other art displays. In Bethlehem last year, the Lutheran Evangelical church made a 'Christ Under the Rubble' display in place of a crib.

Sculptor Timothy Schmalz's 'Homeless Jesus' and other pieces depicting refugees and people suffering poverty can now been seen in many cities around the world including the Vatican and London.

This evening there have been reports of several more 'ICE Was Here' nativity scenes popping up in front of churches across America.

LINKS

Rev Munther Isaac: Christ is still in the Rubble - full text: www.indcatholicnews.com/news/51360

Homeless Jesus at Farm Street Church: www.indcatholicnews.com/news/35878