Saturday May 19th 2007
World Youth Day....
I got very interested in World Youth Day as a young relative went to the 2005 event and talked non-stop about it on coming home, subsequently giving a lively report to a Catholic women's group describing it all...and the 2008 event is to be in Australia, we have a number of friends who are involved, and it looks set to be a big success.
So I was concerned when some one sent me a link to a website with quotes from the Australian pop star who is to sing the 2008 WYD song. He's Guy Sebastian and the song is on the theme of the Holy Spirit and spreading the Gospel across the world:"Recieve the power". But it seems that, back in 2006, in response to some comments - he was offended by some one using a vulgar expression to insult homosexuals - he was asked to expand on his views and he said he didn't oppose gay marriage as he wasn't "anti-anything",thinks we shouldn't be "fundamentalist" etc. His remarks are decidedly confused. But the website that was sent to me quotes some of what he says - slightly out of context - and suggests that it's quite wrong that his song should have been chosen for the Sydney event.I think this is going to be made into something of a campaign, and would like to know a bit more. There's good background material on this Catholic News Agency website, which gives some flavour of his muddled thinking, in a quoite from him posted in the comments section. So far I'm unconvinced that this means he's a dedicated gay-rights campaigner, but perhaps it would be useful if he could be urged to clarify his understanding of the Church's teaching...
The website that was sent to me seems to be run by a crusader of whom I am slightly wary as it seems that his main concern is in denouncing the whole of World Youth Day and advertising "a new DVD set - only $19.99" which offers to expose the whole thing as an appalling corruption and which shows - oh, horrors! - pop singers at the 2002 event on a stage waving their arms about. On the DVD the presenter offers offers to show secenes of "rioutous charismatic sessions" and in italics "much more". He says that on attending a World Youth Day he searched in vain for "something, anything that Popes Pius 1X, Leo X111, Pius X, Benedict XV, Pius X1 or Pius X11 would recognize as Catholic" and found nothing at all. So he evidently missed the million young people at night adoration of the Blessed Sacrament at Cologne 2005, the Pope's sermon focussing on the importance of Sunday Mass and prayer, the long lines of people going to confession...
6 comments:
Mozart (freemason) wrote some of the most spiritually uplifting music of all time. Ditto Wagner (anti-semite, adulterer). Ditto Schubert (unmarried, died of syphilis). I think that we should stop and think carefully before banning music because the composer persists in evident sin. Moral outrage is all well and good, but babies and bathwater come to mind.
As far as I or anyone else seems to be aware, this particular talented young man of 26 does not proselytise for "gay culture". If I were a betting man, I would wager that very many, if not a majority of, those who regard themselves as practising Catholics in Europe, America and Australia share his muddled, be-as-loving-as-you-can views, and not a few priests as well. (But then they're not celebs, so no reporter asks them.)
As for the reasons for this state of affairs we have to go deeper: among others, bad catechesis, abdication of Christian values in Christian schools and the pervasive current ethical consensus among political and intellectual elites in the West, which has also infected many churchmen.
Would the greater good be served by throwing out this particular singer-songwriter? He's not there to preach, or act as a role model, or to be some sort of extraordinary minister, but to sing what is generally agreed to be a rousing and morally uplifting song (although it's very possible that I would hate it, but then I'm not going).
And is anything that John “We Resist You to The Face” Vennari writes really a reliable guide to anything?
Apparently there was a contest and Catholics were invited to submit a song. 120 were submitted and they didn't make the grade.
Joanna,
I have found also in churches and "new music", books and so on people are queitly and slowly removing black and white as far as scripture, truth and teachings are concerned and replacing it with these "grey" generic terms and beleifs that simply do not belong in this environment. You are wise to look into this further, and try and put a halt to something innapropriate now. before it becomes the norm.
Guy Sebastian is a great young man who has been very open about being a virgin and waiting for marriage. I'm incredibly thankful we'll have a pop singer at WYD who really believes, lives and communicates the Church's message on chastity!
For God's sake, Joanna, back off. You'll only make a fool of yourself, impress nobody, and be regarded by the young (for whom World Youth Day exists) as a mad old bat.
Joanna, Guy has the reputation in Australia of being the nicest, politest, chaste and most loving Christian musician around. He has a very high profile in the media and with the public. If you persist in your endeavour to attack Guy and actually achieve having him removed from the WYD events, you will send a message to the youth of Australia that Guy is not good enough for Catholics. Their immediate response will be, "Well if Guy isn't good enough for them then who the hell is?" They will walk away from your church and Christ. Is that what you really want? Will you be a contributor their stumbling block? Think carefully through what you are suggesting.
Alternately you could support the youth of today and be accepting of this non-Catholic but very beautiful Christan man. What a testimony it would be to show them your love and support instead.
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