Many, many, many Catholics of my acquaintance have been convinced that current Vicar of Christ, Pope Francis, is evil. He has called for universal abolition of the death penalty, forgiveness of foreign debt, better treatment of migrants and more work on climate change. At the same time, he takes no notice of the hard-working and generous average Catholic. He is a Pope for the Elites and the very poor. He has never condemned the October 7, 2023 massacre in Israel. There should be no surprise at all that he sides with the Palestinians in a creche display featuring the Baby Jesus lying on a keffiyeh.

There are many Manger displays in and around the Vatican at Christmas, naturally. Different countries, donors and artists submit their work showing in Vatican City. According to the Washington Post:

This year, the Nativity scenes were made by Bethlehem-based artisans. Representatives of the Palestinian Embassy to the Holy See, as well as special representatives of Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas , had been on hand at the Vatican that day for the unveiling.

Roll that back. Mahmoud Abbas? Does it bother anyone else that Mahmoud Abbas is a blatant, unrepentant anti-Semite? The Pope called the United States’ choice between Harris and Trump a choice between the lesser of two evils. Yet, he has met with Mahmoud Abbas several times including yesterday for a private audience. The Pope condemns the Israelis but meets with Abbas. Don’t know if he is evil, but Francis is not a good Catholic. It is ever so lovely that the Pope asked Abbas for the release of the hostages. More from the WaPo:

Pope Francis presided over his weekly general audience Wednesday alongside a Palestinian-crafted Nativity scene that was missing its eyebrow-raising signature element: a keffiyeh-draped manger holding the infant Jesus.

The wooden Nativity scene in the Vatican’s main audience hall had generated headlines when it was unveiled Dec. 7 because of the presence of the keffiyeh, the black-and-white checkered headscarf that has become a potent symbol of the Palestinian cause.

Pope Francis had prayed before the creche briefly that day when he greeted the artists and donors responsible for all the Vatican’s Christmas decorations this year, which include various depictions of the manger in a Bethlehem stable where Jesus is said to have been born.

Nativity at Vatican shows Christ Child on a keffiyeh scarf provided by Palestinian government. The Pope is exploiting Christmas to advance the ridiculous effort to rebrand Jesus as Palestinian rather than what He was — a Jew who fulfilled the Old Testament prophecy of a Messiah. pic.twitter.com/ILpJSn7VF4

— Jerry Dunleavy IV (@JerryDunleavy) December 7, 2024

It is true that over the millennia many Popes have not been very religious Catholics, but pimping for Arabs over the Baby Jesus?

Apparently, Baby Jesus and the offensive keffiyeh have been removed from the Nativity. Not because the keffiyeh was offensive, but because in most traditions the Baby Jesus is not placed in the Manger until Christmas Eve. We can expect Our Savior and the keffiyeh to show back up because this Pope does not have the wherewithal to say “No” to the Palestinians.

May I just say that if you have ever seen the Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall, the Living Nativity is done more beautifully, respectfully and prayerfully than at the Vatican.

With the rise of anti-Semitism, it is important to remember than unJewing Jesus is not new. From the Times of Israel:

Efforts to erase the Jewishness of Jesus have a long history, one that dates back almost to Jesus himself. As early as the second century, Marcion sought to consciously disconnect Christianity from the God and scripture of Israel. That tendency to un-Jew Jesus was strong enough that it took decades of intentional work on the part of scholars and theologians in the late 20th century to give Jesus back his own Jewishness. In the wake of the Shoah it had become clear how much was at stake.

It is because of Shoah (The Holocaust) that we must stand fast in keeping Jesus Jewish. Finally, not for nothing, but the keffiyeh is way to current for Jesus:

The "Balestinian' Keffiyeh came from Kufa, Iraq. pic.twitter.com/iqE8t4RvHK

— Zoya ★ (@RealZoya1) December 12, 2024

It is important Christians and Jews to preserve the true history of Baby Jesus.

Featured Image: Grok/X/Public Domain