There is nothing particularly human about the Vatican's nativity scene for the year 2020 according to observers describing the unveiling as an ugly scene.
Observers of the presentation of the 2020 Vatican nativity scene in Saint Peter's Square on Dec. 11 said there is nothing particularly human with the scene. Witnesses went online and came up with different nicknames to express how ugly they find the figures.
After witnessing the highly anticipated Vatican nativity scene as it unveiled this year, observers came with their own descriptions trying to come up with the most appropriate nickname that matches their disappointment towards the view. They compared each piece to items such as car parts, toys, and even astronauts.
As Breitbart reported, the figures offended the religious reverence of the faithful and misrepresented the real essence of the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem traditionally done with a replica of a manger. It promoted the feeling of pity and revulsion more rather than the atmosphere of piety and devotion.
A day before the official unveiling of the nativity scene, The Catholic Traveler under the Twitter handler @MountainButorac gave his followers a glimpse of what to expect. He gave specifics on how the figures will look like More than 600 followers agreed and while 309 retweeted his post.
A sneak peek at the Vatican Nativity. Official unveiling tomorrow. Looks like some car parts, kid toys, and an astronaut. pic.twitter.com/4ZeBkf1Huy
"” The Catholic Traveler (@MountainButorac) December 10, 2020
In a 39-minute video, Dr. Taylor Marshall, a Philosophy professor replied to The Catholic Traveler's update with a question asking why the figure could be so ugly. He ended up the caption with a mystery question, "Is it evil?"
With your permission, @MountainButorac, I featured your images here: Vatican Nativity Scene: Why so UGLY? Is it EVIL? https://t.co/qesOmXzuDR "” Dr Taylor Marshall
Elizabeth Lev, an American art historian believes that this year's nativity scene is misshapen and a poor selection among ideas. She mentioned factors that the figure lacked making it fail to reflect the manger scene. Lev said the scene lacked grace, proportion, vulnerability, and luminosity.
"The entire point of this holiday is the second person of the Holy Trinity taking human form, born as a baby of flesh and blood, and there is nothing particularly human about the forms we see before us," the Rome teacher said.
Lev added that the 2020 nativity scene gave the people something far from what they are looking for. She explained that in this extremely difficult year, people are in search of something to elevate and inspire them just as the nativity scene signifies the celebration of God who came to the world in the form of human flesh.
FA Grue Art Institute, a state-run high school for design is the institution behind the talked-about figures. Students and faculties from the institute helped build the 2020 nativity scene altogether to once again relive the devotion of its scholastic activity to the theme of Christmas as the institute did from 1965 to 1975.
However, Bishop Lorenzo Leuzzi sees the figure as a call to upgrade the skills and capabilities of the next generation.
"We believe that this year's experience of a Nativity scene donated by an Artistic High School is really a powerful summons for everyone to invest more in the training of the new generations both at the level of middle and high schools and for the university world," Leuzzi said.
