To make it worse, this time it’s a Catholic Church doing it.

A Catholic parish in Dedham, Massachusetts, has created a nativity scene where the Holy Family is missing. Guess what they put in their place? A big sign saying “ICE was here.” Jesus, Mary, Joseph? Gone.

Protest, they say. Federal immigration, that’s the issue.

What? The birth of our Lord, the entrance of God into humanity was a little too boring for ya’? You had to spice it up with some modern politics. You had to make it “ripped from the headlines?”

Ancient and eternal truths just aren’t enough anymore, huh? You had to make the birth of Christ about you. It had to be about posting your leftist bona fides.

How pathetic.

The archdiocese sent a statement to CBS: “People come to church, expect prayer, worship—expect that. Not politics. Not division.” They say, “Remove the display. Restore the manger. Respect the sacred.”

Last week, St. Susanna Parish drew some heat. Father Josoma (he’s the guy) said, “It’s tradition. We use the Nativity to hold up a mirror. This year? It’s right there in front of us.”

The archdiocese? They say the church didn’t ask, didn’t get permission. “No permission,” they say. “You want to do this? You’re off script. Sacred objects? They’re for devotion, not politics.” That’s the rule. No exceptions. Jesus in the manger.

It’s politicizing Christmas. But many in the parish are supportive. They’ve done it before by highlighting gun violence, climate change. Remember 2018? Baby Jesus in a cage, wise men behind a wall. They make their point.

This garbage is telling anyone and everyone who will listen that this parish is of the world and about the world. The parish is saying “look at me” instead of “Seek Christ.”

Pathetic.

So many people are looking for something true. Something real. Ancient. Eternal. And what do they get? Op-eds dressed up as religion. Preaching the world to the world.

Sad.

The Archdiocese of Boston reportedly slammed the Nativity scene at a Dedham church that replaced Jesus, Mary, and Joseph with a sign that said “ICE was here” to protest federal immigration action.

“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 archdiocese said in a statement to CBS News. “The display should be removed, and the manger restored to its proper sacred purpose.”

St. Susanna Parish in Dedham first drew attention for its Nativity scene last week. Father Stephen Josoma said at the time that it’s a church tradition to use the Nativity scene to “hold the mirror up to what’s happening, and this year, it seemed to be, my God, it seemed to be right there in front of us.”

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The Archdiocese of Boston said the church did not request or receive permission from the Archdiocese to “place a politically divisive display outside the church,” the statement said.

“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,” the statement said, per CBS. “Regarding the recent incident, St. Susanna Parish neither requested nor received permission from the Archdiocese to depart from this canonical norm.”

Critics accuse church of ‘politicizing Christmas,’ but congregation is supportive

Previously, St. Susanna Parish has highlighted national and global issues with its Nativity scene, including gun violence and mass shootings and climate change. In 2018, the St. Susanna Parish attracted national attention with their Nativity scene depicting baby Jesus in a cage and the wise men behind a wall, Josoma previously told Boston.com.