Politicized Vatican Nativity Scene Sparks Backlash Against Pope Francis: ‘There Are No Words’

If Pope Francis hasn’t given you enough reasons to believe that the Roman Catholic Church, under his guidance, has become a deeply politicized institution, he’s certainly trying to pile on a few more this Christmas.

Yes, the birth of Jesus Christ, Lord and Savior, should be one of those things that only gets insanely political in one of those Unitarian Universalist congregations where the officiants declare that He may have been an enby, or something — not in an institution that derives at least some of its authority from the fact it traces its lineage back to St. Peter, the first pontiff and the rock that Christ built his earthly church upon.

This requires, of course, a certain level of decorum and tradition — even if you’re the artist formerly known as Jorge Mario Bergoglio, who, as Pope Francis, has decided that Roman Catholicism should concern itself more with modern geopolitical controversies.

So naturally, we have the current pontiff attending the inauguration of a nativity scene in the Vatican presented by Palestinian officials in which the baby Jesus was lying on a keffiyeh, the scarf that’s become the universal symbol of Palestinian resistance to Israel.

Bethlehem, where the Savior was born, is now under the control of the Palestinian Authority.

Nativity at Vatican shows Christ Child on a keffiyeh scarf provided by Palestinian government. The Pope is exploiting Christmas to advance the ridiculous effort to rebrand Jesus as Palestinian rather than what He was — a Jew who fulfilled the Old Testament prophecy of a Messiah. pic.twitter.com/ILpJSn7VF4

— Jerry Dunleavy IV 🇺🇸 (@JerryDunleavy) December 7, 2024

Yes, that’s right: Why not swaddle a Jewish Messiah who was killed to atone for man’s sins in the symbol of a movement that killed 1,200 innocent Jews on Oct. 7 alone?

Just in case you didn’t get the message via the scarf, Pope Francis made sure you did via his words.

According to The Times of Israel, the wheelchair-bound pope used his remarks at the event to exhort believers to “remember the brothers and sisters, who, right there [in Bethlehem] and in other parts of the world, are suffering from the tragedy of war.”

“Enough war, enough violence!” he exclaimed, also condemning the commercial trade of arms. This presumably included the arms the Jewish state is using to protect itself from the terrorists who invaded their country last year and are now playing the victims.

“The keffiyeh-draped cradle, which will be displayed in the Paul VI Hall, is one of a series of nativity scenes collectively titled ‘Nativity of Bethlehem 2024,’ designed by artists Johny Andonia and Faten Nastas Mitwasi, both Palestinians from Bethlehem, according to Vatican News,” the Times of Israel reported, noting it wasn’t “the main nativity scene displayed in St. Peter’s Square.”

Yes, one would hope not. It’s still ugly enough, particularly given that last month, Pope Francis called for an investigation to see whether Israel’s war against Hamas “fits into the technical definition” of genocide.

His attitude toward the terrorist organization, however, has been considerably more, um, lenient.

“The pope has met frequently with family members of those taken hostage, and has repeatedly called for their release,” the Times of Israel noted. “A letter he wrote to Middle Eastern Catholics on the first anniversary of the attack, however, never mentioned Hamas by name, or made explicit reference to its atrocities, including the hostages. The letter also quoted passages from the Gospel of John that have historically been used to fuel religious anti-Semitism.”

One might think that these are things that the man who sits, at least metaphorically, upon the Chair of Saint Peter might want to comment on. Apparently not, and now we have a display with the baby Jesus upon a keffiyeh in the Vatican. You do the math.

In 1961, Pope John XXIII published an encyclical titled “Mater et Magistra,” which translates to “Mother and Teacher.” It was a bit more political than that, putting the church squarely on the side of social justice movements sweeping the world at the time. While the phrase wasn’t coined by him, Catholic William F. Buckley’s National Review famously popularized a bon mot in response to the document: “Mater, si; magistra, no.” In other words, the Church may indeed be mother, but it sometimes fails as a teacher and can be tuned out, in a way.

I’m a former Catholic turned Protestant, so I don’t really have a dog in this fight, so to speak. However, this goes a bit beyond the kind of thing a Catholic can just tune out, safe in the knowledge that 2,000 years of church history can properly cover over a pope unwilling to condemn Hamas but who believes Israel should be investigated for genocide and then attends an event celebrating a nativity scene in which baby Jesus lays upon a keffiyeh.

Others, Catholic and not, found the act similarly shameful:

Shocking and Disgraceful:

The Pope has allowed Baby Jesus to be wrapped in a Palestinian keffiyeh—a symbol widely associated with terrorism and violence. This blatant politicisation of the Nativity is an insult to the Prince of Peace this Christmas.

Jesus was a Jew.… pic.twitter.com/201Xfx35wU

— Brian Tamaki (@BrianTamakiNZ) December 9, 2024

The pope unveils the nativity scene with baby Jesus in a keffiyeh.

There are no words to describe how much of an unholy desecration this is.

The keffiyeh emerged as a symbol for Arab revolt against the Ottoman Empire beginning in the early 1900’s. It subsequently became a… pic.twitter.com/BEXXNJzw2h

— Elica Le Bon الیکا‌ ل بن (@elicalebon) December 8, 2024

As a practicing Catholic, I am ashamed of a Pope @Pontifex that uses the Nativity, one of the most sacred symbols of Catholicism, to make an ideological statement that has nothing to do with the Catholic Faith.

Has he forgotten that Pope Paul VI, at the second Vatican Council… pic.twitter.com/ZcjBHaloV9

— Reyes Católicos 🎗️ 🇪🇦🇨🇴🇮🇱🇻🇪 🎗️ (@1492Isabel) December 8, 2024

One of the commenters put it perfectly: “Jesus wanted to bring the world together, not further drive it apart. This is where the term ‘sacrilege’ comes from: the act of treating something sacred with disrespect or violation. This from the Pope?”

Yes, it is. And all Christians — Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox alike — should condemn it loudly and not stop until the pope officially condemns what this abhorrent “nativity scene” stands for. “There are no words to describe how much of an unholy desecration this is,” indeed.

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