Vatican critic Novus Ordo Watch (Novus Ordo translates to New Order, and is generally thought to refer to the most recent promulgation of the Catholic Mass by Pope Paul VI, in 1969 – and, if you’re wondering, the blog is subtitled Unmasking the Modernist Vatican II Church – oh, the horrors!) seems to be having a conniption over the Vatican’s … nativity scenes:
In case you thought 2020 couldn’t get any worse, it just did: The Vatican has unveiled its Nativity Scene in St. Peter’s Square.
Although this year we’re not confronted with a homo-erotic Frankie Horror Picture Show or an unconventional Nativity display made of sand, what Bergoglio’s sect came up with this time around is a fitting end to an annus horribilis, a truly horrific year.
Here’s one:
Unlike most American nativity scenes around here in Minnesota, which tend to be in the realist, if not authentic, tradition, this seems to be an abstraction, an interesting commentary on the dual natures of those involved in the nativity – both human and divine, or at least mythical, as it were. Unlike the American tradition, which suggests that humanity and Christ (and attendees) are alike, the Vatican nativity scene suggests a difference, an incomprehensibility concerning the Divine, that perhaps humanity will have to face for an eternity.
Which is quite appropriate.
And then there’s the scene which has led to some people to ask if Darth Vader has invaded Catholic orders:
I love the camel, who seems entirely disenchanted. And Darth as a wise man? Wise guy might be more appropriate. The Art Newspaper engages in a bit of snark:
But the 2020 offering has received mixed reviews, as the tableau, which the Catholic Herald is calling an “embarrassing sci-fi creche”, features an astronaut as one of the three wise men, with another that can only be described as a Darth Vader-doppelganger holding a shield. While it would appear that Darth Vader was not, in fact, at Jesus’s birth, it’s important to remember that the Gospels were written long after Christ’s death and such facts could easily have slipped through the cracks.
Ahem. The figure in question reminds me more of a Teutonic Knight of the Middle Ages, but rumor has it they were not invited to the Nativity, either.
