Posted on 03/07/2007 9:47:41 PM PST by siunevada
POPE Benedict XVI tried to prevent his predecessor, John Paul II, from attending a Bob Dylan concert.
The hardline pontiff makes the confession himself in a book due out next week.
Dylan's booking for the 1997 church-arranged event raised eyebrows at the Vatican, given his history of drug abuse.
Pope Benedict, who has labelled rock "the work of the Devil", said: "I had reasons to be sceptical and still am. I doubted whether it was in good taste to allow such a performance in front of the Pope."
At the time, Pope Benedict was Cardinal Ratzinger and in charge of the powerful Congregration for the Doctrine of the Faith. A year before the concert he had said there were "diabolical and satanic messages" in much heavy metal music.
He also warned the young against the "subliminal" satanic influence to be found in songs by the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Eagles, Pink Floyd, Queen and Led Zeppelin.
Last year, he disappointed many at the Vatican by cancelling the traditional Christmas concert, which was a favourite of John Paul II's.
His book, John Paul II - My Beloved Predecessor is to be serialised next week in an Italian religious magazine.
Satan does not need to be subliminal. When one can not only read, but directly write in human minds as well, then what's the use of subliminality?
I guess the times, they are a changing.
hmmmm.....not into heavy metal or anything, but it's a far cry from Dylan (who I dislike, but that's cuz I resent what he did to our troops).
When I think of music and or musicians to be concerned about, got to admit that The Eagles, Queen etc. don't make it onto the list.
Actually, I really like Dylan's new recording. That said, I doubt that BXVI is exactly up to date on the rock scene, but he obviously just didn't like the principle of the Pope sponsoring that sort of concert. The individual songs may not have been bad, but certainly even the tamest of these groups seems to publicly and noisily advocate for "lifestyles" that aren't a model for Christians to emulate. This is to some extent because performers who once might have kept their personal lives and opinions to themselves now feel that celebrityhood has conferred wisdom and power on them and that they have become moral arbiters for the world. I think this Pope is really opposed to the cult of the celebrity.
I think in general he was concerned that it might give an impression of support for their lame-brained ideas. This is an age-old conflict, btw; the theatrical performances that used to be given in medieval churches eventually got banned because of their increasingly bawdy and politicized content, and the fact that the traveling bands of actors who performed them lived lives that were not exactly models for the faithful. Something about the performer mentality seems to make these people forget their place in the scheme of things...
Subliminal? "Sympathy for the Devil" is subliminal? Now Pink Floyd is like a crazed drug addict, but isn't really subliminal.
He also warned the young against the "subliminal" satanic influence to be found in songs by the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Eagles, Pink Floyd, Queen and Led Zeppelin.
What year am I living in?
Hunh? Sorry, man, I wasn't paying attention.
I was trying to figure out a new arrangement for Dear Mr. Fantasy.
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