LOWELL — The Nativity scene that has historically occupied City Hall plaza during the Christmas holiday season will be joined this year by decorations from Jewish, Buddhist and other faiths as the city balances tradition with legal concerns over the separation of church and state.
A year ago, the manger was placed in the vicinity of City Hall on the property of St. Anne’s Episcopal Church, on Merrimack Street, after a resident questioned the legality of displaying a Christian symbol on government property. To foster a spirit of inclusiveness, the city chose to add other decorations this year and to rely on volunteers rather than city employees to set up the John F. Kennedy Plaza display, officials said.
“There’s concern about separation of church and state, and the city did not want to use city employees and city resources to put it up,” Mayor Rodney Elliott said.
The manger was set up Friday, as was a menorah in honor of the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah. More decorations will come soon, City Manager Kevin Murphy said.
Murphy said he decided to return the display to the plaza because multiple residents contacted his office asking that the manger be placed in a more visible location this year.
The City Council also voted unanimously in January to return the manger, along with the new decorations, to the plaza.
The Nativity scene is a tradition of “historical significance” to the city, Murphy said. He added that he has fond memories of visiting the creche as a child.
Court rulings regarding religious displays on government property are mixed.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1989 that a Nativity scene, which marks the Bethlehem birthplace of Jesus, at the Pittsburgh courthouse was unconstitutional because it represented government endorsement of one religion. But several years prior, the court accepted the constitutionality of a Nativity scene in Pawtucket, R.I., because it was displayed alongside symbols from other religions.
City Solicitor Christine O’Connor declined to comment on any legal issues surrounding the creche. But Murphy said he studied the law carefully before making his decision.
“I think as long as we have multiple expressions of faith set up by noncity employees, then it is a proper expression of faith,” he said.
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