A pastor in the Boston archdiocese has declined to remove an sign protesting Trump immigration policy from a Nativity display, despite a rebuke from the archdiocese.
The figures of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph are no longer visible in the Nativity display outside St. Susannah’s church in Dedham, Massachusetts; instead passersby see a sign: “ICE was here”—a reference to immigration-enforcement agents. Father Stephen Josoma said that the display was intended to provoke reactions, like any work of art.
The Boston archdiocese has issued a statement decrying the “divisive political messaging” in the Nativity display. The statement read: “The display should be removed, and the manger restored to its proper sacred purpose.”
But the parish has not followed that directive. Father Josoma said that he is “waiting for an opportunity to dialogue and clarify” with Boston’s Archbishop Richard Henning before taking any action.