Guy Sebastian and World Youth Day '08

My last post on the topic of WYD drew a whopping 161 comments, the great majority of those dedicated to the controversy surrounding Guy Sebastian, the composer of the WYD theme song, and his pro-homosexual comments in various interviews. The debate has, of course, not just been limited to this blog, with numerous heated combox discussions taking place and many requests to have Sebastian removed from his current position submitted to the WYD organizers.

This is a complex issue, to be sure. And while Amy has some good thoughts on the question, a few things should be kept in mind: First: Sebastian himself isn't Catholic. ("I am not Catholic as such, but I guess the fundamentals -- Christ-based faith -- are in place." - source.) Second: it is almost positive that the WYD organizers have decided to keep him. He's still on all the schedules.

That said, the controversy isn't over. From my observations it is very evident that Sebastian has a very large and supportive fan base (mostly among Christians in Australia). Equally obvious is that some people are extremely offended (not surprisingly, mostly ultra-traditionalist Catholics) by his nomination, with Catholic Family News probably taking the cake, calling on people to boycott the event because of his presence (although, honestly, they seem to dislike WYD for many other reasons besides Sebastian's presence).

As for the song itself, I'm not very impressed. Especially when Sebastian himself says that it "was written in three minutes!" Yeah, I can believe that. Watch it for yourself:

It can also be listened to in higher quality here.

The WYD '08 coordinator, Bishop Fisher, has been very exuberant and complimentary about the song, saying it "hit the mark on every level", etc. The Salt & Light blog posts a theological reflection written by Bishop Fisher on the song's meaning here (and also includes the song's lyrics). While I respect his position and the need for him to be positive about the way things are going, some sort of acknowledgement of the concerns that have been voiced wouldn't be too much to ask.

I have to say it's rather interesting that no one - not Sebastian nor the WYD coordinators - have said anything publicly about this controversy. At least, nothing that I've been able to find. While it might be "too late" to pull him, I do think a carefully-worded clarification statement from one of the coordinators (probably Bp. Fisher) might be helpful.

As for Sebastian, I think this article is perhaps rather revealing into his character. It relates that he has undergone harassment that included homosexual slur words many times, even as he is a heterosexual and Australia's "most high-profile abstainer from sex," since he claims he'll remain a virgin until marriage. I think that Sebastian, as a non-Catholic who hasn't benefitted from Catholic catechesis but who is nonetheless trying to provide a good message on other issues, shouldn't be faulted too much for his statements. Indeed, I hope this debate can be framed charitably enough to where he is invited to re-evaluated his opinions (not, of course, about loving people of a homosexual orientation, but instead about how they should live their lives chastely, etc.).

As for the people who chose Sebastian as the composer of the WYD theme song, I think more care should have been put into it. First, information is very easy to come by on the Internet and they could have guessed that folks would track down what Sebastian had said in the past. While it might be too late to gracefully choose a new song or artist, it's not too late to officially clarify the reasons why Sebastian was hired (his musical talent and star status) and - most importantly - to seriously reconsider the criterion for musical performers in the future, as this sort of embarrassment has happened to WYD organizers before (most recently with one of the minor bands performing at WYD '05 - I'll try to track down a source), where the stars' personal comments are at-odds with the organizers, participants and very meaning of the event.

In a winder context, things are still humming along for WYD '08. For instance, advance-registration numbers are continuing to look good, with the announcement being made today on the official website that "Almost 2000 groups representing more than 120,000 people have registered to attend." This is ahead of expectations.

I don't intend this to be a final or exaustive post on this question, merely an update on where the matter stands at present, with a couple suggestions and my tentative opinion. I'll probably revisit this topic in a few more days or when more pertinent information surfaces. In the meantime, please keep the comments civil.