A church in Indianapolis has put up a display that shows the statues of Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus in a cage to protest the Trump administration’s ‘zero tolerance’ policy.
The nativity statues at the Christ Church Cathedral are enclosed in a chain link fence lined with barbed wire. It’s meant to resemble an immigration detention center, the church said.
The White House’s “zero-tolerance” prosecution policy has resulted in the detention of families caught crossing illegally at the border.
Members of the church say the journeys of immigrant families are similar to that of the Holy Family.
Scripture says that Mary, Joseph and the infant Jesus were homeless and fled to Egypt, where they were welcomed, said the church’s dean and rector, Steve Carlsen.
“That family is every family who are seeking safety for their children,” he told CNN.
The Rev. Canon Lee Curtis came up with the idea for the display.
“This symbol is something that speaks to every one of us at our most basic level, because of who we are as a church and as Christians,” he told CNN.
Curtis said the display will stay up as long as it’s needed.
“We don’t want this message to disappear,” he said.
The display is part of Christ Church Cathedral’s “Every Family is Holy” campaign.
Near the caged Holy Family is a sign that reads, “#EveryFamilyIsHoly” and “CadaFamilyEsSagrada,” its Spanish equivalent.
“We think faithful people across all faiths, races, cultures … that we shouldn’t be divided,” Carlsen said.
The church has tried to advocate for immigrants through actions like accompanying them to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement check-ins, Carlsen said.
“According to the Golden Rule, we’re supposed to love our neighbors as we love ourselves,” he said.