It’s a relief to see that the Archdiocese of Boston has finally spoken out against the outrageous Nativity display at St. Susanna Church in Dedham.

Many Catholics will be grateful that Archbishop Richard Henning’s spokesman described the display as “divisive political messaging,” and has urged the parish to remove the display immediately, as New Boston Post reported on Friday.

When Father Josoma had the Nativity scene set up recently, he left out the Holy Family —Joseph, Mary, and Baby Jesus — and replaced them with a large sign saying "ICE WAS HERE," plus a telephone number for a tip line run by a group that monitors and disrupts immigration enforcement operations in Massachusetts. I find this behavior by a Catholic pastor disgraceful, and hope that he will be sanctioned for his actions. In my opinion, the only acceptable remedy is his removal as pastor and reassignment to some lesser position.

Not only is this behavior inappropriate, it also doesn’t make sense. Joseph and Mary were not immigrants. Joseph and Mary were born and lived under Roman rule. They travelled from Nazareth (under Roman rule) to Bethlehem (under Roman rule) to obey the census decree of Caesar Augustus.

In other words, they were following the law, not violating it.

Luke 20:25 might give us a clue as to how Jesus felt about political topics. When asked whether it was lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, Jesus replied:  “Render therefore unto Caesar the things which be Caesar’s, and unto God the things which be God’s.”

This response suggests that the government has certain responsibilities and that we should obey civil authority unless it contradicts God’s commandments — which do not include an order that countries abandon their borders or their sovereignty.

Foreign-born people in the United States living here without permission from the federal government are violating the law.  Removing them to their country of origin is legal and just.

Suggesting in a Nativity scene that the Holy Family was taken by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is outrageous, as is openly aiding and abetting scofflaws by encouraging people to tip them off to the presence of law enforcement officers.

As a Catholic, I am deeply offended by this act, and wonder how the many Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents who are also Catholics feel about this characterization of them during the Advent season.

Thankfully, the Archdiocese also confirmed that the pastor neither requested nor received permission for this publicity stunt, which willfully distorts the Nativity for political activism. This is a welcome change, since Cardinal Sean O'Malley, Archbishop Henning’s predecessor, ignored previous political Christmas-related stunts by Father Josoma.

I hope Archbishop Henning will take this opportunity of widespread attention to use his office to call out the heinous acts of Tren de Aragua, Antifa, and sex traffickers that ICE has been working to remove from our communities.  During this season of Advent, I am praying for an end to the dehumanizing rhetoric and violence directed at law enforcement.

By using a Nativity display, which should reflect the sacred moment of our Savior's birth, as a stage for political activism, Father Josoma has now joined the ranks of those putting a bullseye on those who are enforcing the laws that Democrats and Republicans created.

This should never happen again.

Kerry White is a Financial Services Executive who has spent her career in Asset Management and Asset Servicing in firms in the United States and Europe. She is a recognized thought leader and frequent speaker on the topics of sustainability of pensions, corporate governance, transparency, risk management, and cross-border investments. She has served on a variety of boards in the town of Milton, Massachusetts, and is currently the chairman of the Milton Republican Town Committee.