A pastor who went to check on his church’s nativity scene was stunned to find an actual baby instead of a fake one.
The newborn was abandoned at Holy Child Jesus Church in Richmond Hill in the Queens borough of New York City, according to police.
“The baby was found in creche, a sort of manger scene where we would put the baby Jesus during Christmas time,” Father Christopher Heanue told the New York Post.
“The church is considered a safe haven for drop offs. The baby was brand new. He still had the umbilical cord attached. It’s a beautiful baby boy.”
Surveillance video showed a woman going inside with a baby and leaving alone.
Heanue says there’s families within the church interested in adopting the baby.
Church member Karina Lara, 28, says she found out about the baby on Facebook.
“I feel so sad that the child’s mother felt she had to abandon him, but it’s a blessing that she brought him here,” she said. “This is a beautiful church with beautiful people and his life will be blessed from this point on.”
Churches, police stations, firehouses and hospitals, are considered safe havens where unwanted infants under 30 days old can be left, no questions asked, according to the state’s Safe Haven Law, reported the New York Daily News.
But the mother could face charges because she didn’t tell anyone where the baby was, police said.
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