Archdiocese weighs in on church’s ‘Ice Was Here’ nativity scene
By Kim Lucey
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DEDHAM, Massachusetts (WHDH) — A nativity display at a church in Dedham is raising some eyebrows and now the Archdiocese of Boton has weighed in.
At St. Susanna Parish, Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus are missing and in their place there is a sign that reads, “ICE WAS HERE” and a phone number residents can call if they spot immigration enforcement agents in the community.
And despite pushback from the archdiocese, the nativity was still on display on Sunday.
In a statement, the archdiocese said, “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.”
Victoria Weston, who visited the manger scene, said she supported the message.
“It was a blessing to me, as a fellow Christian, I’m like this is brave, for a church to put this out there,” she said.
Beth Everts agreed, saying, “Unfortunately there’s been so much hating or just stepping back and not doing the right thing and standing up and being able to say, ‘this is wrong, what’s happening’ and I thank the church for doing that.”
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