“The painful experience of these brothers and sisters reminds us of that baby Jesus, who could not find shelter, was born in a stable in Bethlehem and was later brought to Egypt to escape Herod’s threat.”
There was heightened security at the Vatican last night for Midnight Mass. Why? Aren’t Muslim migrants just like “baby Jesus, who could not find shelter”? Was the Pope afraid that the baby Jesus would scream “Allahu akbar” and blow himself up in the middle of a crowded St. Peter’s Square?
Pope Francis makes these facile and fatuous comparisons while living comfortably behind heavy guard and the Vatican walls. The people he is trying to guilt-trip into dropping all opposition to the Muslim migrant inundation are the ones who have to pay the price for his ostentatious virtue.
“Leave them; they are blind guides. And if a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit.” (Matthew 15:14)
“On the Ground The Vatican’s Nativity scene is a reminder that refugees’ struggles are like those of baby Jesus, the pope says,” by Tom Kington, Los Angeles Times, December 25, 2016 (thanks to Darcy):
The life-sized figures of Mary and Joseph were to be expected. What drew the longest gaze from visitors to the Nativity scene on St. Peter’s Square this Christmas was the strange pile of crushed masonry in front of the stable.
The shattered stonework came from the cathedral in the central Italian town of Norcia and was retrieved after an earthquake struck Oct. 30 and wrecked the church.
A metal cross toppled from the peak of the cathedral that day. Placed next to the stones, it is a reminder not only of Norcia’s fate, but also of the many tremors that shook central Italy this year and claimed hundreds of lives.
When the church in Norcia is rebuilt, the cross will be placed back on the roof.
“The cross is a beautiful addition to the Nativity scene since it reminds us that we must never forget what happened in the mountains this year,” said Franco Montuschi, 69, a Roman who was visiting the scene.
If the display summed up a year of shocks, it also reflected Pope Francis’ talent for serving up strong symbols of the world’s troubles.
This Nativity was a twist on the usual tableau of the birth of Jesus. Designed by an artist from Malta and depicting village life on the Mediterranean island, it included fishermen and a typical Maltese fishing boat.
Inaugurating the scene this month, Francis said the boat was a reminder of the migrants who have risked their lives sailing across the Mediterranean to Europe from north Africa this year.
While more than 175,000 people made it across by December, 5,000 or so others died trying. It was the deadliest year for migrant crossings.
“The painful experience of these brothers and sisters reminds us of that baby Jesus, who could not find shelter, was born in a stable in Bethlehem and was later brought to Egypt to escape Herod’s threat,” the pope said….