As usual Diogenes says it better than I do, in this case in relation to pop star Lauryn Hill’s scolding of bishops during the Vatican’s Christmas concert. In a sense the bishops brought this on themselves by their unseemly cozying up to pop stars and other worldly types.
It’s impossible to gauge the sincerity of Hill’s admonishment, but it’s clear that the publicity thereby gained will sell lots of albums and cost her zero customers. Moreover, a person engaged in the pop music business at any level is in an extraordinarily poor position to criticize others for sexual exploitation of youth. Ask yourself whether the entertainment industry helps teenagers make choices in favor of purity, rationality, sobriety, and thrift.
That said, there’s a sense in which Hill’s Vatican hosts got what was coming to them. I’m not referring to her reprimand on sexual abuse but to the ill-focused worldliness of senior clergy who wish to nuzzle up to the rich and famous of whatever stripe, including those who exult in contempt for Christianity.
