Newborn baby discovered in New York church nativity scene

Hearing cries coming from a nativity scene, a maintenance worker at a Catholic church in Queens, New York, found, tucked away in a manger, a newborn baby.

Police say the baby was just four or five hours old when he was discovered, swaddled in towels. The Rev. Christopher Heanue of Holy Child Jesus Church said it's likely the infant was in the crèche for about 30 minutes before he was found, and his umbilical cord was still attached. "I believe that this mother came with her child and was able to find in this crèche — a place where Jesus will be welcomed — a place where her child will be welcomed," he told The Wall Street Journal.

Under New York State law, as long as a child is left in a safe place, it is not a crime to abandon a baby, and police still do not know the identity of the mother or whoever dropped off the infant. A couple in the church is interested in adopting the baby, Fr. Heanue said, and the boy would be a "gift to our parish, our community. The Holy Child Jesus, that's our namesake. It's a welcoming home for this child, most especially."

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