A Catholic church in Massachusetts has defied the Catholic Church hierarchy for now, keeping up its Christmas display, which replaces Jesus, Mary and Joseph with a sign saying “ICE Was Here.” The Catholic Archdiocese of Boston has ordered the church to remove the sign.
“The Holy Family is safe in the Sanctuary of our Church,” adds a smaller note inside the Nativity scene, which is protected by a plastic shield. “If you see ICE please call LUCE.” The display includes a phone number for LUCE, an immigrant advocacy group, which tracks the activity of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Massachusetts.
Some members and supporters of the Dedham parish said they were confused by the demand from the archdiocese, which came one month after a rare and nearly unanimous statement by U.S. Catholic bishops condemning the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement campaign.
In 2018, the church was controversial for depicting the infant Jesus in a cage, a scene church leaders said was a reflection on immigration policy at that time. A year later, the parish emphasized climate change, showing some of the figures partly submerged in water.
Perhaps people inclined to attend a Catholic Church and also want to mitigate the effects of hierarchies might find a church home at St. Susanna Parish in Dedham, Mass.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/08/us/massachusetts-church-ice-nativity-scene.html
