Roman Catholic Priest Gets a Spanking

When an Episcopal priest pulls a stunt like the following, he/she/them/they is/are praised, but when a Roman Catholic priest does it, he gets spanked.

From Fox News, 

A Nativity scene at St. Susanna Parish in Dedham, a suburb of Boston, shows an empty manger with a sign reading "ICE was here," along with contact information for a group that monitors immigration enforcement in Massachusetts.

Rev. Stephen Josoma, the pastor at St. Susanna, said the church's peace and justice group organizes a display annually. Josoma told Fox News that they, "try to see what would it be like if Christ was born into the context of the world today, what would he be facing?"

Josoma calls the Nativity scene "religious art," and shared with Fox News Digital that it's intended to "evoke emotions in people."

"It's supposed to affect people deeply, it's supposed to move people, it's supposed to change people," Josoma said. "So, if this evokes a strong reaction, it's maybe good to take a look at that..."

...The archdiocese’s secretary for communications and public affairs, Terrence Donilon, told Fox News Digital in a statement that the sign was "divisive political messaging," and called for its removal.

"The people of God have the right to expect that, when they come to church, they will encounter genuine opportunities for prayer and Catholic worship — not divisive political messaging," he wrote.

The statement further said the church's norms "prohibit" using sacred objects for any other purpose than, "the devotion of God's people." 

"St. Susanna Parish neither requested nor received permission from the Archdiocese to depart from this canonical norm or to place a politically divisive display outside the church," wrote Donilon. "The display should be removed, and the manger restored to its proper sacred purpose."

Josoma has used controversial Nativity scenes in the past. He has used them to send messages about gun control, climate change, and also reportedly had baby Jesus placed in a cage separated from his parents during Donald Trump's first presidency in 2018. 

The archdiocese should have done something about this priest in 2018. I don't recall if they did or not, but I suspect not because further research on the subject shows that this priest has been in and out of trouble for a while.

From Leo Lyon Zagami in 2018,

Way back during Cardinal Bernard Law’s tenure, Irish parishioners at St. Brendan’s in Dorchester were scandalized to see their pastor, Fr. Ron Coyne and his ‘co-pastor,’ Fr. Steven Josoma, openly conducting themselves as a sexually intimate couple inside and outside the sanctuary.  They sought intervention from the Vicar Forane, Auxiliary Bishop, Cardinal Law, and ultimately the Holy See, and when it got to the point where the priests were reportedly simulating the Sacrament of Marriage in the sanctuary to homosexual couples, the parishioners called the Cardinal’s office and demanded the removal of the priests.  After both were sidelined for several years, under Cardinal Sean O’Malley they were reinstated as pastors.

 In 2005, Josoma played a part in a skit at a parish event with another gay-advocating buddy (now-former priest, Fr. Bob Bowers). As reported by the Globe, their skit included a joke with sexual innuendo about comparing a part of the male anatomy saying “mine’s bigger”. Fast forward to 2013 when the pastor and parish were in the news again over plans to host a presentation by Austrian dissident priest, Fr.  Helmut Schuller.  The talk was part of a U.S. tour co-sponsored by 10 dissident organizations that publicly disagree with the Catholic Church’s teachings that prohibit homosexual activity, gay marriage, women priests, and married priests. Co-sponsors included gay-agenda-advocates like DignityUSA and New Ways Ministry, as well as Call to Action, FutureChurch, Voice of the Faithful, and Women’s Ordination Conference.  Thankfully, Cardinal O’Malley banned the priest from speaking at St. Susanna’s, saying he would not allow anyone to speak on church property who advocates beliefs in conflict with church doctrine.  (We wish that policy were upheld more consistently, but more on that in a moment).  But why was Fr. Josoma on-board with having such a dissident present at his church in the first place?

I doubt this priest will ever be defrocked.