Church locked this refugee 'family' inside of a cage. It's Jesus, Mary and Joseph

To send a message about family detentions on the U.S. border, an Indiana church decided to lock Jesus, Mary and Joseph inside a cage.

Steve Carlsen, dean of the Christ Church Cathedral in Indianapolis, told RTV6 that he hopes the display can help "hearts soften" on the controversial and divisive topic.

After all, he added, the Holy Family was "homeless" and looking for refuge — not unlike those seeking asylum at the country's border.

"The fact that it's controversial isn't because I want to be controversial," he said in the interview. "What's controversial is that we're turning away from the values that should be guiding us. The point of a religious icon is to move our hearts.

"If at first, people are upset by it, that might just be God trying to move their hearts."

The Department of Justice recently announced that it will no longer separate immigrant families — but rather detain them together.

In response, the church is currently working on an "Every Family is Holy" campaign that draws parallels between Jesus' family and modern-day immigrants, according to CBS News.

The Christ Church Cathedral released a statement explaining the display, which was placed on the church’s lawn.

"Holy Scripture is clear about how we are to treat people trying to find safety for their families — we are to show mercy and welcome them. Jesus, Mary and Joseph were homeless and fled danger to seek asylum," the statement reads. "The Holy Family today calls us to stand with all families seeking safety and a future for their children.

"We will not stand by while children are being taken from their parents, and families are being taken from our communities and congregations."

And so far, Carlsen said that the image of Baby Jesus and parents inside a cage has impacted at least one person.

"He asked what it means, I said, 'Think about it a little bit,'" Carlsen told CBS. "And then I saw the lightbulb come on."

This isn't the church's first time protesting for social justice, The Indianapolis Star reported. Members of the self-identified "progressive" church protested after police fatally shot Aaron Bailey, a black former NFL star, and marched in an LGBTQ pride parade. During a speech at a meeting titled Faith in Indiana, Carlsen voiced support for the DACA program, which protects some undocumented immigrants who were brought here as children from deportation.

Now the church has its attention turned to the issue of migrant families looking for a home in the U.S.

"People of good will and faith must not allow this to continue," the church's statement concludes. "We must not be divided by race, language or culture, but reach out to care for our neighbors — because every family is sacred.”

This story was originally published July 3, 2018 at 3:25 PM with the headline "Church locked this refugee 'family' inside of a cage. It's Jesus, Mary and Joseph."