MA Church Comments on Recent Events with Caged Baby Jesus

Nativity scenes are a common sight this month as churches and Christian citizens decorate for Christmas. What's a little less common to see is Baby Jesus trapped in a cage.

St. Susanna's Parish in Dedham, Massachusetts intended to present a thought-provoking crèche this year, including a question mark at the end of their "Peace on Earth" banner and putting Baby Jesus inside a cage.

“We try to take a picture of the world as it is and put it together with a Christmas message,” Pastor Fr. Stephen Josoma said in an interview with CBS Boston.

Even in the very blue state of Massachusetts, the crèche isn't going over well with everyone. “This is where you come to pray not to be preached at what you should think about politics,” said Helen Watson who drove to see the display.

The parish wasn't trying to make a dig at Trump administration policies, Friar Josoma insisted. He calls it gospel activism. “We talk about Matthew 25 feeding the hungry and welcoming the stranger,” he told CBS Boston.

This isn't the first time St. Susanna's has augmented their crèche for topical events. Last year, they added an homage to victims of mass shootings, which could also be interpreted as a political commentary. But that isn't stopping the Parish - Parishioner Phil Mandeville says Jesus was plenty political himself. “He was hung on a cross for making political statements and bucking authority and that’s exactly why he died,” Mandeville said.