A reverend is considering tying Jesus to his crib next year after the baby was stolen from outside a church.

The model infant was swiped from St Dunstan’s nativity scene in Canterbury, in an act branded “sacrilegious” by shocked parishioners.

The rector of the place of worship, Reverend Jo Richards, discovered Jesus was missing when she arrived for mass on Sunday.

Rev Jo, 55, said: “On Sunday morning when we open up the church I always go past and have a look at the crib and this Sunday Baby Jesus was missing.

“At first I thought someone may have taken him inside away from the elements but no, he has truly gone missing.

“I guess someone rather took a fancy to him, to Jesus, which on one level is no bad thing. But as far as our crib is concerned, Mary and Joseph are without their Christ child."

Crib corner, a nativity scene located outside St Dunstan's, was introduced in lockdown to allow worshippers to visit the shrine when indoor gatherings were discouraged.

It has since become so popular with both members of the church and passers-by, the rector decided to keep the scene in place when services returned to normal.

Rev Jo, who has been the rector at St Dunstan’s since 2018, said: “When I realised someone may have taken him I was disappointed and sad, just really sad.

“You hope and pray that people won’t steal but evidently they do and perhaps we should have made Jesus a bit more secure. We don’t want to have to tie him down but moving forward that is what we may have to do.

“Physically Jesus may no longer be with us but spiritually Christ is with us 24/7. So at one level Jesus is missing, yes, but He’s not missing from our lives. He is present here. Although physically and symbolically the crib is empty, spiritually He is always there.

“Some of the parishioners have said that they feel it is sacrilegious that our Baby Jesus has been taken.

“Who would want to take our Jesus? To take the baby out of the crib is disappointing. If somebody feels they need Jesus in their lives and to them by doing this they are accepting Jesus into their life, I understand, but it just means that nobody else can benefit from visiting the crib and seeing the Christ child.”

A local carpenter made the model and gave it as gift to the reverend and her congregation.

Now, the reverend is pleading for the return of the holy infant, and hopes the religious figure will be reinstated in time for their Christingle service this Sunday.

“For us to not have the Baby Jesus at the Christingle service will mean a very important guest will be missing," she said.

"We’ll be singing Away in a Manger and he won’t be there.”

Reverend Jo’s worst fear for the wooden figurine is that it may have been taken to be burnt.

The rector said: “I don’t know if Baby Jesus has been stolen, borrowed or taken.

"I’m normally an optimistic person but I’m not sure we’ll get him back. It would be wonderful if we did but somebody has kindly offered to make us another one.

“We need a Baby Jesus, the nativity scene is incomplete. There is no nativity without the Baby Jesus but also Jesus is here, there and everywhere.

“However it is important to have a focal point where one can reflect, particularly in these difficult times. It is sad, very sad.”