Boston Archdiocese says "ICE was here" sign should be removed from Dedham nativity scene
The Archdiocese of Boston is clashing with a church in Dedham, Massachusetts over a nativity scene with an anti-ICE message.
It has everything you would expect in a nativity scene. There are wise men, animals, and shepherds. But there is something else in the display in front of St. Susanna's Parish in Dedham that is impossible to ignore. In the place of Jesus, Joseph and Mary, stands a sign that reads: "ICE was here." The suggestion being that they were detained by the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. A clear commentary on the current political landscape.
Father Stephen Josoma declined an interview with WBZ-TV for this story but told us off camera that the church has long created a nativity scene that speaks to a current humanitarian issue facing the country.
Previous nativity scene messages
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. It was a commentary on the first Trump administration's family separation policy at the US/Mexico border. At the time, Father Josoma told us, "We try to take a picture of the world as it is and to put it together with the Christmas message."
This year's display was installed the Saturday after Thanksgiving and within hours it had sparked debate online.
Michael Hersey lives just down the street from the parish and stopped by Friday night to see it for himself. "I just saw the ICE lit up as I was getting ready to turn and I was like, there is no way," Hersey said. "Personally, I just think it is not the right place. I do get it, I mean with everything going on, especially with the holidays. I know everybody has got their mixed feelings on this."
"The display should be removed"
This year's display has made its way up the chain and ultimately led the Boston Archdiocese to issue a statement on Friday that condemned it. It read:
"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."
Father Josoma told WBZ-TV that the parish has a regularly scheduled meeting this weekend and will discuss the future of the nativity scene.