A reader writes:
I don’t know if this is of any interest to you, but EWTN has THIS ARTICLE about a Chilean band that is slated to perform at World Youth Day who openly deny the authority of the pope.
Incidently, here is THE OFFICIAL WYD WEBSITE if anyone wants to complain:
Oh, no, this is of quite a lot of interest to me! I read about this band earlier today and was going to blog on them. It’s an outrage that a group of artists who deny the role of the pope as the vicar of Christ and who have attacked B16 in particular would be invited to perform at World Youth Day. Assuming the press reports are accurate, they should never have been invited.
Incidentally, the group is from Argentina rather than Chile. (The latter is where they gave an interiew dissing B16 and the papacy.)
HERE’S THE CONTACT FORM ON THE WYD PAGE.
JIMMY AKIN.ORG: Rescate Stay Home!
Found on Jimmy Akins blog… SPANISH ROCK BAND INVITED TO PERFORM AT WORLD YOUTH DAY SLAMS POPE BENEDICTSantiago, Aug. 04, 2005 ( CNA ) – In an interview with a popular music website in Chile, the Christian rock band from
JIMMY AKIN.ORG: Rescate Stay Home!
Found on Jimmy Akins blog… SPANISH ROCK BAND INVITED TO PERFORM AT WORLD YOUTH DAY SLAMS POPE BENEDICTSantiago, Aug. 04, 2005 ( CNA ) – In an interview with a popular music website in Chile, the Christian rock band from
JIMMY AKIN.ORG: Rescate Stay Home!
Found on Jimmy Akins blog… SPANISH ROCK BAND INVITED TO PERFORM AT WORLD YOUTH DAY SLAMS POPE BENEDICTSantiago, Aug. 04, 2005 ( CNA ) – In an interview with a popular music website in Chile, the Christian rock band from
Sorry about all that trackback traffic Jimmy, I edited the post twice, and apparently it ‘re-pings’ each time I saved it. *blush*
Thanks for the link to the form Jimmy. It makes it easier to find. I sent a quick note off asking them to dis-invite the band and not to be leading the youth astray.
The Chilean interview really puts the WYD organizers in a pickle, doesn’t it? If they rescind the invitation now, there will be a cry so loud they’ll hear it on Mars. “Oh the Pope is a divider”, “The Pope can’t handle dissent”, “The Pope is authoritarian”, yada yada same-old, same-old…
In anticipation of “the Pope is a divider” comments, I once again must quote Luke 12:49-53
[49]”I came to cast fire upon the earth; and would that it were already kindled!
[50] I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how I am constrained until it is accomplished!
[51] Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division;
[52] for henceforth in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three;
[53] they will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against her mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.”
Rich Mullins became interested in Catholicism after performing at WYD in Denver in 1993.
May the same thing happen to the members of Rescate.
I confirmed this group is scheduled to perform on the final day (Aug 21) along with a bunch of other bands from 1 pm to 7 pm. It’s posted on the schedule of events at the WYD site:
http://programme.wjt2005.de/index.php?ami=3&action=calendar&date=2005-8-21&size=1&style=1
Also, at CA forums someone suggested contacting the US papal Nuncio. Someone there set up an online petition to him here: http://www.petitiononline.com/wyd2005/petition.html
Scott
Rich Mullins became interested in Catholicism after performing at WYD in Denver in 1993.
However…. I don’t recall Rich Mullins opening defying his host shortly before the event. The members of Rescate are wrong. Being privately wrong is one thing. But due to their actions, they are not publically wrong, and that’s a whole different ball ‘o wax.
Not to mention the fact that it’s just plain bad manners.
WYD needs to cancel them.
the above should read “they are NOW publically wrong.”
I may have to put my fat fingers on the egg & lemon juice diet… =)
I don’t get the big deal. Bob Dylan appeared at a Catholic Youth Rally in 1997:
http://news.minnesota.publicradio.org/play/slideshow.php?feature=2005%2F02%2F28_ap_popetimeline&slide=6
Mr. Dylan may have been a “Born Again Christian” at some time, but he wasn’t a RC.
And didn’t Lou Reid appear at some event with JP II? His song Take a Walk on the Wild Side was a celebration of transvestism.
http://www.vh1.com/artists/news/1428688/04112000/eurythmics.jhtml
It’s not their private beliefs that are the issue. It’s their public statements.
My son is home-schooled. If I were going to invite someone into our home to give him a lesson, I don’t necessarily quiz him on every possible subject to make sure that all of his beliefs are in line with the faith. I only quiz him on that which he is going to teach. Now… if he runs out to the newspaper and says “The Pope is no one special,” he is no longer fit to teach in my home; because he has PUBLICLY stated something totally opposed to the values I am passing to my son. Therefore I will not place him in a position of authority.
Rescate was brought in to sing songs. I assume that whoever hired them made sure that the lyrics of the songs were in line with Catholic teaching. That’s all well and good… until they go out and make a public spectacle of themselves. There’s no way that WYD can now put them on stage in front of the youth now.
Also, they are dumber than a bag of hammers — I mean even for musicians. How can you blame the POPE for the division in the Christian Church?
In times like this, I like to use the “Trendy Religion Test” to get some perspective on exactly how bad this sign of disrespect is. Let’s replay the same situation, only instead of Catholicism, we insert Lamist Buddhism; and instead of the Pope, we use the Dali Lama. Now this band has been invited to appear at a Buddhist function at which the Dali will appear. Just before the event, our intrepid South American band of goofballs says something to the effect of “The Dali Lama is a great political figurehead with no spiritual significance at all. Oh, and if he would lighten up a bit, and stop being such a sour-puss then maybe the world of Buddhist believers would not be so divided.”
Stupid? Yes. Insulting? Yes. Totally without merit? Yes. Demonstrating a bigoted view towards the target audience’s beliefs? Yes. Worth raising a stink over? Yes.
These folks need some flak.