STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
Good morning. I'm Steve Inskeep. The Vatican unveiled a different sort of nativity scene. Critics say one of the wise men resembles an astronaut. Another character brings Darth Vader to mind. The Catholic Herald called it an embarrassing sci-fi creche. But one Catholic writer defends this display, saying an endearing part of Catholicism is that it's weird. The Vatican News has the true backstory. This scene was made by students and teachers from an Italian region known for ceramics. It's MORNING EDITION. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.