A blasphemous LGBT-themed Nativity scene was erected by an activist Catholic priest in Italy, angering local politicians, traditional Catholics, and serious Christians everywhere this year.
Of course, the Nativity scene traditionally depicts the birth of Jesus Christ in a creche in Bethlehem surrounded by mother Mary and father Joseph, often including the three wise men and shepherds. But the display at the Church of Saints Peter and Paul, in Capocastello di Mercogliano, Italy, features two “Mary” figures and omits Joseph.
The Nativity scene seems to include the older, meticulously painted placards of Mary and an angel, a statuette of Jesus lying in a manger, and a more crudely painted stand-up of a second female figure.
Left-wing activist Father Vitaliano Della Sala defended the display, saying, “I wanted to show with this scene that families are no longer just the traditional ones,” according to Reuters.
“In our parishes we see more and more children from the new types of families that exist and are part of our society, children of separated and divorced people, gay couples, single people, young mothers,” the activist priest continued.
The priest, who is well-known as a far-left agitator in the area, also cited Pope Francis as part of the inspiration for the Nativity display due to the pope’s recent efforts to soften the church’s resistance to the radical gay agenda.
Pope Francis stirred controversy in October by suggesting that Catholic priests could bless certain gay “marriages” or unions in an effort to tear down barriers for gays to become more active members of the church.
While Francis didn’t go so far as to say the church could bless homosexuality itself, he did say that same-sex union could receive “blessings” from church officials.
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In November, the church took yet another step toward easing its restrictions on the radical gay and transgender agenda by changing rules to allow for the baptism of the infants of gay and transgender couples.
Not everyone in Italy is appreciative of the priest’s activism.
Sen. Maurizio Gasparri of the co-ruling Forza Italia party blasted Father Della Sala and said that the gay Nativity “offends all those who always had respect and devotion for the Holy Family.”
Italy’s Pro-Vita and Famiglia (Pro-Life and Family) organization also condemned the display, calling it “dangerous, as well as shameful and blasphemous.”
Pro-Vita and Famiglia also launched an online petition calling on the bishop of Avellino to take action and remove Father Della Sala’s offensive display.
The group called the Nativity “a blasphemous and provocative representation that distorts the meaning of the Nativity scene itself and of the Holy Family” and, as of Tuesday morning, has surpassed 24,000 signatures, seeming on track to reach its 25,000-signatory target.
The activist priest’s Nativity comes just as many left-wingers in Italy are working to excise any religious expression in the nation’s schools. The attacks on tradition spurred a senator from Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party to propose a bill that would prevent school officials from canceling Christmas plays, Easter, or other traditional celebrations of Catholic religious events in schools, Reuters added.
In the U.S., the number of Nativity scenes displayed at state capitals reached a new record high after several Christian non-profits launched efforts to help citizens put up the displays in the halls or on the grounds of their state capitol buildings. According to reports, a record 43 states allowed the display of a Nativity scene this year.
The efforts were fitting since 2023 marks the 800th anniversary of the first Nativity scene, which was erected by St. Francis of Assisi in A.D. 1223.
