Ireland

Baby Jesus stolen from crib at Co Wicklow church

A baby Jesus statue was stolen from a crib in Co Wicklow over the weekend
A baby Jesus statue was stolen from a crib in Co Wicklow over the weekend A baby Jesus statue was stolen from a crib in Co Wicklow over the weekend

A BABY Jesus statue was stolen from a crib outside a church in Co Wicklow.

The statue was part of a public display outside the Church of Saints Mary and Peter in Arklow.

Parish priest Fr Martin Cosgrove branded the theft as "mindless activity".

The statue, which was stolen late on Saturday night or early on Sunday, was later found broken elsewhere in the town.

Fr Cosgrove said the statue had been on display outside the church every Christmas for the past eight years.

"I wouldn't say there was any theological significance to the theft, you could only speculate as to why they did it," he told The Journal.ie.

He said he hoped the statue would be replaced within days and added that the theft would not deter the parish from continuing the tradition.

"It's very visible as people pass by, that's the intention," he said.