Caged Nativity scene poses question ‘What if the Family sought refuge in our country today’?

A nativity installation depicting Mary, Joseph and Jesus separated in cages has caused a stir in a southern California city, a few hundred kilometers from the US border with Mexico.

The installation shows Joseph and Mary, in separate cages, facing a cradled baby Jesus in a cage, with Joseph’s arms outstretched towards him. It was posted to Facebook by the Rev Karen Ristine of the Claremont United Methodist church, and has been shared more than 20,000 times, The Guardian reports.

epa08058080 A view of a cage with a statue Mary, Claremont, California, USA, 09 December 2019. A US church, Claremont United Methodist Church, displays a nativity scene where Jesus, Mary, and Joseph are caged and separated from each other. EPA-EFE/DAVID SWANSON

epa08058083 A view of a cage with a statue baby Jesus, Claremont, California, USA, 09 December 2019. A US church, Claremont United Methodist Church, displays a nativity scene where Jesus, Mary, and Joseph are caged and separated from each other. EPA-EFE/DAVID SWANSON

epa08058081 A view of cages with statues of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, Claremont, California, USA, 09 December 2019. A US church, Claremont United Methodist Church, displays a nativity scene where Jesus, Mary, and Joseph are caged and separated from each other. EPA-EFE/DAVID SWANSON

epa08058084 A view of a cage with a statue Mary, Claremont, California, USA, 09 December 2019. A US church, Claremont United Methodist Church, displays a nativity scene where Jesus, Mary, and Joseph are caged and separated from each other. EPA-EFE/DAVID SWANSON

epa08058087 A view of a cage with a statue Joseph, Claremont, California, USA, 09 December 2019. A US church, Claremont United Methodist Church, displays a nativity scene where Jesus, Mary, and Joseph are caged and separated from each other. EPA-EFE/DAVID SWANSON

Ristine asked: “What if this family sought refuge in our country today? Imagine Joseph and Mary separated at the border and Jesus no older than two taken from his mother and placed behind the fences of a Border Patrol detention center as more than 5,500 children have been the past three years. Jesus grew up to teach us kindness and mercy and a radical welcome of all people.” Ristine says a more traditional nativity scene is displayed inside the church, which serves a congregation of about 300 people.

The Trump administration faced broad criticism for separating children from their families while they were detained at the southern border before the president ordered an end to the practice in 2018.

Via The Guardian / CBS News