A baby Jesus statue at a Haverhill church’s nativity scene was taken and replaced with a “freshly decapitated’’ pig’s head on Christmas morning, police said.

John Delaney, the pastor of Sacred Hearts Roman Catholic Church, said he had a mix of “shock’’ and “horror’’ upon seeing the bloody head on Thursday morning just before Christmas mass.

“It’s just a really hurtful commentary on society, and for someone to do this sad deed is really shocking,’’ father said.

Priests told church-goers about the crime this morning, though many had already heard the story on the news the night before.


“They’re heartbroken, they’re horrified, they’re outraged by this act,’’ Delaney said.

Police asked the public for assistance in their investigation of the vandalism, which they said could be a hate crime.

A replacement baby Jesus is now in place in the church créche.

“It absolutely infuriates me on any day, but particularly on the most holy days of Christendom and Catholicism,’’ Haverhill mayor James Fiorentini said.