Archdiocese weighs in on Dedham church’s ‘Ice Was Here’ nativity scene

A nativity display at a church in Dedham is raising specific 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 population And despite pushback from the archdiocese the nativity was still on display on Sunday In a declaration the archdiocese noted 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 current event 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 disclosed 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 revealed 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