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.
Labels: catholic controversy, world youth day 2008
|
links to this post
As unlikely as it would be, authenticating a miracle on a Formula One racetrack has about as much grandioseness as you could hope for:
