With a creche set, manger, or Nativity scene, he said, “we are talking about the announcement of a historical truth, which is that God has become incarnate, has become a man, and has made himself present among us to save us.”
For the manger, which means peace, forgiveness, harmony, and salvation, “there is no prohibition,” said Patrito, because “everything that the manger means promotes the good of society; it cannot be limited.”
First Nativity scenes, then Our Lady of Guadalupe
The priest warned that if the Supreme Court decides to ban Nativity scenes, “later it will be Christmas trees. And then there will be pilgrimages, because they are a manifestation of public faith.”
“Or they’re going to remove the images of Our Ladyof Guadalupe from the markets, because the markets are public areas,” he said.
“And this is already happening in other places: let’s remember how in Spain, the State is removing crucifixes from public property under the same principles that are now used in the legal challenge,” he said.
“Do we want to come to the same thing in Mexico? Do we want a desacralized culture with an atheist and secular state religion?” the priest asked.
For Patrito, the possible prohibition of religious symbols on public property “is a problem that affects the exercise of religious freedom and, more specifically, it’s the issue of where Christ is in the public square.”
“Therefore it’s so important that we don’t remain silent,” he stressed.
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
Graduated in Communication Sciences from the Universidad Privada del Norte in Trujillo, Peru. I have been part of the ACI Prensa team for more than 10 years. I have covered Pope Francis' trips to Ecuador, Paraguay, Mexico, Colombia, Chile, and Peru. I covered the beatification ceremony of today's Saint Oscar Arnulfo Romero in San Salvador, El Salvador, in 2015. Special envoy for investigation in Honduras in 2016. Head of the ACI Prensa Office in Mexico since 2018.