Church wants to help mother of baby abandoned in manger

The church in Germany where a newborn baby boy was found in the manger of its nativity scene has said it wants to try and help the mother and child.

The priest of Peter and Paul Church in the village of Poettmes was shocked to find a real baby in the manger church members had built in front of the altar after he heard crying during prayer on Tuesday.

“I was in the church shortly after midday to pray and I heard the baby crying," Father Thomas Rein was quoted as saying by The Telegraph.

"We prepared the crib in the pre-Christmas period so children could lay fresh straw in it and ponder on the meaning of Jesus and Lo! There really was a Jesus-child in it!"

The priest called an ambulance immediately, fearing that the baby might have hypothermia. The child, reportedly named Christian by the mother, remains at the Neuberger Paediatric Clinic.

Police say they have since made contact with the 38-year-old mother, believed to be a local Romanian woman. She reportedly told police she had left the child there in the hope that someone would find him and take care of him, according to the Associated Press.

In an interview with the German publication Welt Online on Wednesday, Mr Rein spoke of his concern for the wellbeing of the mother.

“A newborn child such as this is always a beautiful thing. But of course there lies behind that the great need of this woman,” he said. “She must be in some kind of difficult situation. The story has really moved the hearts of the people deeply.”

He said members of the church had prayed for the mother and child during service and that they were looking at ways of helping them.

“We stand ready to help,” he told the magazine. “But it is also important that we first of all leave the mother in peace, so that she can make up her mind about the child.”

A baby in the manger without a place to stay, just like the baby Jesus was, he said, a modern-day version of the story of Mary and Joseph searching for a place to stay in Bethlehem.

“There are many children in need,” said Rein. “We are thankful that this child is alive and that we can help him and his mother.”