[ad_1]
(CNN) – Jesus, Mary, and Joseph don’t normally appear alongside astronauts or Darth Vader-like figures, but the Vatican has annoyed some Catholics by gathering them together in their last manger.
Pope Francis inaugurated the scene, which features a series of life-size ceramic figures, on Friday, but many people have expressed disapproval of its unusual appearance.
The Catholic Herald published an article labeling the nativity as “comically horrible.” The article, titled “The Vatican’s Shameful Sci-Fi Nursery,” added that some “more excitable people called it demonic, pagan and idolatrous.”
On Twitter, Tim Stanley, historian and contributing editor of the Catholic Herald, called the “absolutely terrifying” nativity.
Meanwhile, art historian Elizabeth Lev said the scene had sparked “a universal torrent of ridicule” in an interview with Jesuit America Magazine.
“The Catholic Church has an incredible tradition of beauty and yet, after a year of hardship, we have put in something that makes people mock Jesus,” Lev added.
Every year the Vatican places a different nativity scene in St. Peter’s Square. It is usually a great attraction for tourists.
This year’s sculptures are part of a collection made by students and teachers at an art school in Castelli, a city in Italy’s Abruzzo region known for its ceramics, from 1965 to 1975, reports Vatican News.
“The feast of the Nativity reminds us that Jesus is our peace, our joy, our strength, our consolation,” Pope Francis said during a speech to those attending the inauguration on Friday.
“But, to receive these gifts of grace, it is necessary to feel small, poor and humble like the figures of the Nativity.”
But not everyone was disappointed with this year’s scene.
Tommy Tighe, author of “The Catholic Hipster Handbook,” praised the exhibit on Twitter.
“You can’t be like ‘one of the reasons Catholicism rules is because it’s strange’ and then not love the Vatican nativity scene, ESPECIALLY THE ASTRONAUT,” he said. wrote.
And Lino Rulli, host of “The Catholic Guy Show” on the radio, was even more effusive.
“I don’t know what I love the most: the astronaut or the guy from Star Wars Cantina”, tweeted Rulli. “I really want a small one for our house.”
However, it is not the first year that the Vatican has opted for an unconventional scenario.
In 2018, the nativity was sculpted from more than 700 tons of sand to create the 16-meter-wide and 5-meter-high Nativity sculpture, covering 25 square meters.
This story was first published on CNN.com, “Mary, Joseph and … an astronaut? They poke fun at the unconventional Vatican manger.”
[ad_2]
