Vatican Nativity scene places Christ's birth in edifice in Bethlehem

Published: 2007-12-26

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The Vatican Nativity scene in St. Peter's Square places the birth of Christ in a dilapidated edifice in Bethlehem. A statue of the baby Jesus lies in a straw-filled manger, while angels carved by Mexican sculptor Agustin Parra watch over him and the figures of Joseph, Mary and the three Wise Men look upon the child. Carvings of a curious ox and donkey strain their necks against a wooden gate to gaze on the scene while taxidermy goats and lambs graze outside the damaged building. The scene, unveiled in an early evening ceremony Dec. 24, was the revision of an earlier description by the Vatican which had planned to place the birth of Christ in Joseph's house in Nazareth. The Vatican office in charge of the creche's construction originally had taken its inspiration from an account in Matthew's Gospel: "When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home. He had no relations with her until she bore a son and he named him Jesus." The central scene had been designed to be Joseph's dwelling and his carpentry workshop, according to a Dec. 13 written statement by the office for technical services for Vatican City. But the idea of depicting Jesus' birth in Joseph's home in Nazareth had caused a stir in the press.

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