CHARLOTTE CHURCH: FROM INNOCENCE TO VULGARITY
July 28, 2006 by Father Joe
Does everything good have to be polluted?
Is it impossible for Catholics to make a success of it in media today without being corrupted?
The latest tragedy is Charlotte Church. I have been speechless for several days about it. I first saw her on PBS and was pleasantly surprised that such a young and small girl could have such a powerful soprano voice. It was mesmerizing, and honestly, ever so sweet.
Here was a modern girl, practicing her faith and singing Classical and Sacred Music. Admittedly, she was a fan of popular music, but her nitch was something more sublime and lasting. It was a sign of hope.
No matter whether she wanted it or not, many young people saw her as a model and an inspiration. A number of us older guys and gals prayed that maybe such a phenomenon might be the start of a grand recovery for Western civilization. Along with the chanting monks, things were looking up. Maybe the arts, philosophy, religious devotion, traditional values, etc. would follow?
But it has not happened. Classical music sections have disappeared from many music stores and vulgar music offends the ears of patrons. People have little sense of history and often they trade their rich cultural inheritance for trite modern fixations or flirt with Eastern occultism.
Anyway, back to Miss Church, here is the release from IGNATIUS PRESS, notifying us that they will no longer carry her materials:
In light of the recent statements and actions of singer Charlotte Church, Ignatius Press will be dropping all of her products. It is with regret that we do this; Miss Church possesses a great gift from God, and in the past she has used her talent often to offer praise and glory to our Lord. She has performed for the late Pope John Paul II, and in many sacred concerts, televised Christmas celebrations, and her many albums were enjoyed by our customers over the years.
But we cannot stand by a young woman who uses her stature in the media to mock the Eucharist, slander the Holy Father, and denigrate the vows of religious women.
Therefore, our catalogs and website will immediately withraw all compact discs, cassette tapes, DVDs and VHS tapes that feature Miss Church. Please join us in praying for this troubled young woman.
There you have it, and no apologist can make it right. She has cohabitated with her boyfriend, frequented nude beaches, appeared immodestly in photographs and videos, and now she insults the faith directly.
We all knew she had to grow up. We also could appreciate that she might be more a sinner than a saint, are not we all? But she went from a sweet innocent who sang poignant songs of faith to a lewd tramp who derides the Eucharist and impugns the Vicar of Christ. I searched the web for an apology. There was none.
As she got older we could overlook the fact that her voice, while impressive for a child, was increasingly less so for an adult woman. The mistakes and lack of breath (asthma) did not stop us from buying her CDs because we had watched her grow up. Maybe we even loved her for her efforts and beauty. But it is hard to maintain the same kind of loyalty to a girl who gets drunk and gives everyone the finger. Her beauty falls away when foul words come out of her mouth and she dresses like a prostitute. How could you have fallen so low, sweet Charlotte?
The proverbial straw that broke the back of IGNATIUS PRESS and our hearts was a pilot talk-television program (filmed on July 12) of a proposed eight-part series. She called Pope Benedict XVI a Nazi and mocked the Church. This girl, once labeled “the Voice of an Angel” was costumed as a nun and feigned hallucinations while consuming communion wafers imprinted with smiling faces. These faces indicate the illegal drug Ecstasy. She smashed a statue of the Blessed Mother to find a can of hard cider within. She exclaimed that she worshipped “Saint Fortified Wine,” and stuck gum to a statue of the Child Jesus.
What a change a few years make. Back when she was 12, she sang for Pope John Paul II at the Vatican. Now, at 20, she has traded Classical and Sacred Music for low-grade Rock and mocks the Pope.
She also derided President Bush, calling him, “You twat!” So, I guess her lack of manners makes everyone and everything a possible target.
PRAY THAT HER REBELLION WILL NOT CONTINUE TO GET THE BEST OF HER.
PRAY THAT SHE WILL COME TO HER SENSES.
PRAY THAT ONE DAY WE MIGHT FIND A WOMAN IN MISS CHURCH THAT WE CAN RESPECT, JUST AS WE KNEW A CHILD WHO GAVE US INNOCENT JOY, EASY TO LOVE.
I am getting tired of Christian prudes trying to tell the rest of us what is right and wrong.
Charlotte has become a luscious and SEXY woman. You would probably have her hide her bosoms and legs under a nun’s habit, well, too bad for you! As far as I am concerned, she can strut her stuff all she wants.
A church institution that cannot tolerate criticism or rebuke is doomed to be archaic and stifling to freedom. Catholic leaders are such hypocrites anyway, denying the pleasures of the flesh to others while they secretly sleep with whomever they want, including children.
Catholicism would have us all remain children and gives too much importance to virginity.
Does her lifestyle and views really take away from her music anyway? Do you really think that millions of her cds and dvds are now headed for the wastebin? Come off it!
As for the pope, I read he was in the Nazi youth league, and so she is now banished for speaking the truth.
I am not even sure what the problem was regarding wafers, so what? Who cares? No one believes that Catholic mumbo-jumbo anymore. That is why no one goes to church.
You are pathetic!
Just a note to Amy Wilkins:
It is true that many, many people do not believe that the Eucharist is the body of Christ; and it is true people believe that sex is better enjoyed with numerous partners. It is also true that many, many people to whom we look for guidance within the Church are disturbed and corrupt. Miss Church can do what she wants, that is her right.
We should all just say ‘forget all that the Church teaches’ who cares, it’s old and out dated, right?
Let the lay Catholics and the priests do what they want, we are sinners anyways; we’ll just apologise on our death beds and all will be forgiven. There are way too many rules to follow and besides only a few weirdos still strive to live the life Jesus suggested we live. What if there isn’t a God? See we aren’t offending Him or His followers.
Who cares that someone destroys a picture or a relic? It’s like if someone called my Mom a prostitute– they’re just words, it’s not slander.
Who cares about respect now anyway? The only one we should respect is ourselves and our own needs. Why did the early Christians die for this faith anyway? It’s such a stupid belief system anyway, you know: Love everyone as God loves you, and forgive and be kind and help those in need. What silly ideas those are! Be virtuous and honest, what a joke those qualities are; I mean, it’s not like employers and friends would want people to have them.
We don’t need selfless people like doctors, teachers, firemen/women, police officers and such in our lives; we can take care of ourselves. Let the idiots who find themselves dying die; they take up too much of our resources.
Let people slander the good name of others and their beliefs, who cares? We are now so evolved, why not mock all religions and even those who have none? You know, to show those people how small minded they are for having faith in something beyond themselves.
Who cares about the personal life of Miss Church? I mean kids never try to imitate people to whom they look.
MS Wilkins, you may no longer believe that there still is love, kindness and faith, and I am sorry for you; but just because many of us still believe that these things can and do exist, does not make us pathetic. We may seem foolish for caring about these little things. But, that is our right and is not your place to put us down if you have lost your understanding.
Many businesses part ways with employees who have lost sight of the goals of the company. Is it wrong to fire someone who no longer has faith in the company for which they work? Is it wrong that in this parting they disrupt the workplace and attempt to drive customers away?
Ignatius Press may be a religious company, but they are a company that must keep its other employees in mind.
Hell is forever and…forever IS forever!
She belongs to Satan now..and this kind of story really doesn’t belong in your column!
There are better, much better subjects to be talking about!
We have freedom. No question asked. As we are human beings: we have spirit; we have our soul; we can choose what is good for us and keep away from things that could hurt our souls. Freedom is why we can make this decision; but, not what keeps us away from choosing to nourish our souls.
For her, I liked her voice. To me, this is a gift from God who invite her to announce the love of God. The human has freedom to respond to God’s invitation in different ways; but if the human cannot differentiate good and evil, then the freedom of the human has been taken away by evils.
I care and pray for her, because she doesn’t know what she is doing. The Church will not abandon her.
I’m really dissapointed in her behaviour, a girl for whom I would have spent my last dollar to buy her album. Her behaviour comes as a shock to me; but, I strongly believe she needs professional help, a psychologist.
I know it was not an easy task for her to be singing at such a tender age. While it can be very pressuring for her, she should have taken pride in herself as a young woman so as not to be labled a common tramp. I really hope she will look within herself and realize that true beauty is not physical, but is what comes from within; it’s the inner beauty that counts.
She should also consider that when she finally meets the man of her dreams, the one that she truly loves, how would he feel knowing she has been with so many other men? Would he want to marry a slut?
So,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
What does Miss Church have to say herself about her future?
Dear fr. Joe,
I do not know Miss Church but what I read here, especially the statement by Ignatius Press shows that this little girl, a former singer for JP II at the Vatican, has been provoked.
The Ignatius Press writes:
“Miss Church possesses a great gift from God, and in the past she has used her talent often to offer praise and glory to our Lord. She has performed for the late Pope John Paul II, and in many sacred concerts, televised Christmas celebrations, and her many albums were enjoyed by our customers over the years.”
In a similar vein Fr. Joe continues:
“[W]e even loved her for her efforts and beauty. But it is hard to maintain the same kind of loyalty to a girl who gets drunk and gives everyone the finger. Her beauty falls away when foul words come out of her mouth and she dresses like a prostitute. How could you have fallen so low, sweet Charlotte?”
That is also my question: How could you have fallen so low, sweet Charlotte?
We expect you Miss Church to respond to this fully in order for you to put records right.
But somehow, I guess, the economic embargo which I can read from the following text by the Ignatius Press,might be the cause:
“Therefore, our catalogs and website will immediately withraw all compact discs, cassette tapes, DVDs and VHS tapes that feature Miss Church. Please join us in praying for this troubled young woman.”
I do not know who started the aggression but I think we need to identify the first aggressor and then proceed accordingly to remedy the situation. Both sides of the coin must be examined.
And finally, here is some quote for the beautiful Miss Church to read:
Pope John Paul II, while still a Polish Cardinal wrote: “Nakedness itself is not immodest… Immodesty is present only when nakedness plays a negative role with regard to the value of the person, when its aim is to arouse concupiscence, as a result of which the person is put in the position of an object for enjoyment.”
(Karol Cardinal Wojtyla, “Love and Responsibility”, Farrar, Strauss & Giroux, New York, NY, (1981) pp. 176, 186, 189ff.)
Good day!
/jovin–Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
ONE MORE COMMENT…..
Fr. Joe, you wrote:
“She has cohabitated with her boyfriend, frequented nude beaches, appeared immodestly in photographs and videos, and now she insults the faith directly… went from a sweet innocent who sang poignant songs of faith to a lewd tramp who derides the Eucharist and impugns the Vicar of Christ.
“Her beauty falls away when foul words come out of her mouth and she dresses like a prostitute…
“The proverbial straw that broke the back of IGNATIUS PRESS and our hearts was a pilot talk-television program (filmed on July 12) of a proposed eight-part series.
“She called Pope Benedict XVI a Nazi and mocked the Church. This girl, once labeled “the Voice of an Angel” was costumed as a nun and feigned hallucinations while consuming communion wafers imprinted with smiling faces. These faces indicate the illegal drug Ecstasy.
“She smashed a statue of the Blessed Mother to find a can of hard cider within. She exclaimed that she worshipped “Saint Fortified Wine,” and stuck gum to a statue of the Child Jesus.
These are typically retalliatory acts. What has the American Church done to this little girl?
We may need to look at the other side of the coin…..
/Jovin
No, Jovin, again you jump to conclusions. No one provoked her. Miss Church has simply been possessed by the excitement of fame, wealth and materialism in the West. Ignatius Press merely discontinued her products when she changed her manner and lifestyle so that it was incompatible with Christian values. Her televised insults to the Church were the last straw. She acted first and so the provocation was hers. Such is a pattern we see again and again with young people in Western culture who are seduced by the entertainment industry.
Jovin writes: “That is also my question [quoting me]: How could you have fallen so low, sweet Charlotte? We expect you Miss Church to respond to this fully in order for you to put records right.”
No, I do not expect her to answer the question, which was largely rhetorical. We know what happened, it is just that it is so hard to accept and believe.
Jovin writes: “But somehow, I guess, the economic embargo which I can read from the following text by the Ignatius Press, might be the cause.”
No, it was not the cause, it was the effect. You have the sequence confused.
Jovin writes: “I do not know who started the aggression but I think we need to identify the first aggressor and then proceed accordingly to remedy the situation. Both sides of the coin must be examined.”
Ignatius Press is a Catholic publishing house and distributor. It is against its mandate to distribute pornography or audio materials that are offensive to be believers. It would also not want to enlarge the coffers of those who have made themselves the enemies of the Church. Ignatius Press does not carry much in the way of secular materials. You cannot equate such a passive response with aggression. You must live in a very different society than I do to misunderstand the situation. The problem is self-evident. It is the struggle of a hedonistic secular culture versus the faith. Miss Church was seduced by the same obscenities that propel Britney Spears, Madonna, and so many others. They do it to themselves. There are secular venues and companies that will make sure that such entertainers will continue to thrive, even as they sell themselves. Church organizations cannot participate in such corruption.
As for the quote from Pope John Paul II, that is precisely what Miss Church has done, she has sold her flesh and her talent to the highest bidder. She has embraced a lifestyle of sexual misconduct and nude beaches. Now in her remarks and televised acting, she has subjected the Catholic Church to unwarranted ridicule. She was a talented innocent girl. But there are those in modern society who relish the corruption of innocence. They deflower the virgin and call it business. They wait until famous teenagers become legal adults and then they give them millions to strip and entertain the ravenous wolves. And the young women even rejoice in their own victimization. In turn, they become role models in immodest dress, speech, and action for the next generation. The evil perpetuates itself.
Young people these days do not need much enticement to rebel against the Church. You must not know who she is…Miss Church is not American, she is a Welsh girl, a citizen of the United Kingdom.
Fr. Joe,
Thanks for a clarification.
I agree with you when you say that “[a]s for the quote from Pope John Paul II, that is precisely what Miss Church has done, she has sold her flesh and her talent to the highest bidder…”
You are right also when you say that “[T]here are those in modern society who relish the corruption of innocence. They deflower the virgin and call it business. They wait until famous teenagers become legal adults and then they give them millions to strip and entertain the ravenous wolves.”
It is also true that “young women even rejoice in their own victimization. In turn, they become role models in immodest dress, speech, and action for the next generation.”
In fact what Miss Church is doing is what Miss Tanzania, Miss Poland, Miss America, Miss Universe, Miss Environment, etc are doing. And the most frustrating experience is that Catholic girls are good participants in this business industry. In fact I have never head my local pastors condeming such a participation. The problem is so broad….
I am waiting to see what the Poland Church will comment on the forthcoming Miss World pageantry that is to be held on September 30th, 2006.Pope John Paul II was a Polish!
Good day!
/Jovin
I grieve that Miss Church has followed this path. I will no longer buy any more of her materials. I do plan to keep the recordings of her innocent days to listen to in the hope that she will someday TRULY grow up.
Scott Martin
Woodinville WA
USA
I’d never heard of Charlotte Church when I stumbled across the video of her rendition of The Lord’s Prayer this morning. But then I watched Call My Name. Could this really be the same person?!
I’ve since downloaded twenty-five Charlotte Church videos.
My final discovery just now was this page with Father Joe’s comments. He EXACTLY captures my feelings of shock and disappointment and loss at the change in Charlotte from Angel to Slut.
I’m a father. I’ve seen my kids struggle. To the extent they’ve followed Jesus and his teachings they are happy and successful. To the extent they’ve been disobedient and rebellious they are unhappy and have failed.
Charlotte has three responsibilites, as do we all. The first one is to God. The second is to herself - “to thine own self be true” - and the third one is to other people - “and it must follow as the night the day, thou can’st not then be false to any man” (Shakespeare). James 1:27 suggests that worshipping God consists in keeping ourselves “unspotted from the world” and in serving other people. Other scriptures that capture this Jesus first, Others second and Youself last (JOY) theme are: Luke 22:32, Micah 6:8, Luke 2:14, Matthew 22:36-39, Daniel 12:3, Matthew 25:34-40, and Ecclesiastes 12:13. Even the Boy Scouts have this philosophy with their Duty to God: Do a Good Turn Daily, and Be Prepared.
Regardless of how Charlotte Church chooses to live her life, I will still enjoy her early music. I love some of Madonna’s music, but I feel very sorry for Madonna and for all the people she and Charlotte and others like them have influenced negatively.
That’s how I see it.
Grant Cottam
Concord, CA
she needs our prayers.
I BTW just read online that Singer Charlotte Church & boyfriend rugby player Gavin Henson are expecting their first child.
we need to Pray for their expecting baby at this time and pray Gavin Henson and Charlotte Church both come to know Jesus in their lives if they dont know him already.
Charlotte Church Prayer site:
http://www.christianforums.com/t2344680-singer-charlotte-church-and-her-mother-maria-needs-prayers.html&page=2
I find it surprisingly interesting that you crticize her evolution as a woman whom you find to be offensive and insulting, yet you post the same pictures that you call offensive. A tad bit hypocritical in my humble opinion. Very sad that you can’t see the forest for the trees. I pray for YOU my friend.
To Amy Wilkins:
So this is what society desires in the pursual of freedom, and what we aspire to:
we mock not only sacred institutions but demean those who willingly and most rationally choose to dedicate their lives to them.
our children cannot differentiate self-seeking lust from true, sacrificial love.
we legitimize abortion, but the murder of a newborn is criminal. A baby unwanted is disposed, but if a pregnant woman wanted the child and was murdered, the charge of muder is against 2 persons. Just because we can’t see, we refuse to acknowledge. hypocrital fools we have become.
10 year olds think wearing ‘juicy’ across their bottoms and revealing their midriffs is the epitome of cool and being necessary to gain the attention, let alone the respect of their peers.
I am 17 this year, and i have to see my future children brought up in a world where images of women idealized as sexual playthings are visible to toddlers at the checkout counter at the supermarket. My friends think multiple divorces are fine in order to obtain a large payout. How do you think i feel?
And for your information, just because a couple of priests were involved in sexual scandals, doesn’t mean the Roman Catholic Church slept around. The Church is infalliable. The people aren’t, even if they are the body of the Church.
“She called Pope Benedict XVI a Nazi and mocked the Church. This girl, once labeled “the Voice of an Angel” was costumed as a nun and feigned hallucinations while consuming communion wafers imprinted with smiling faces. These faces indicate the illegal drug Ecstasy. She smashed a statue of the Blessed Mother to find a can of hard cider within. She exclaimed that she worshipped “Saint Fortified Wine,” and stuck gum to a statue of the Child Jesus. ”
Mother of God, pray, pray for her…
what did happen to her? is that really the same person? almost like a ‘fallen angel’?
if it is, its interesting to note that her loss of christian values has made her so unhappy. she seemed joyful when she released her first album. christianity= happiness.
i was suspicious when she said her favorite kind of music was pop. religious people usually love christian kind of music more. makes me think she was propelled into opera singing by her family.
father joe cites britney spears and christina aguilera as papallels to charlotte church. but those girls were never innocent in the media. britney’s first video featured an open bra- risque at the time. christina wore jeans that i had felt were ‘wild”- and so were her lyrics. i cannot think of a single american pop act that fell like charlotte church did. if that is the same girl, its truly astonishing. like she went through an identity crisis, a personality change- and, rarely, a values shift. lindsay lohan is the only person i can compare her to- an innocent, wholesome girl who turned into trailer trash. then again, lindsay lohan is an actress. charlotte church was supposed to be the angel. that was supposed to be the real charlotte church.
her name is charlotte church. like she was called to sing christian music. why the fall from grace?
father joe, i must disagree with you on her being corrupted by fame and fortune. tom hanks never got corrupted. some people simply have more reckless and risk taking personalities. and charlotte church, unfortunately, is one of them.
as for the blasphemy, i do think that is a publicity stunt. i bet she thinks people will be amazed and run out to get her cd’s to find out what happened. only her friends and family can say whether charlotte has turned her back on the church that blessed her.
as for the blasphemy, i do think that is a publicity stunt. i bet she thinks people will be amazed and run out to get her cd’s to find out what happened. only her friends and family can say whether charlotte has turned her back on the church that blessed her.
and Mark, i think he is well intentioned. just trying to show us how much she changed. but yes, u have a point.
i think it would be wise for you, father joe, to post ‘wild’ pictures of charlotte which cover her up more. then u can prove your point without going “hollywood”, lol.
I am amused by the number of Catholics who have responded to this article and passed judgement upon Charlotte and called her a ‘SLUT’. These same people will go to church and have complete respect for priests who have had sex with more boys than Charlotte. Who are the true ‘SLUTS’. I assume it would be ok for her to have sex with underage male children as long as she didn’t discuss it and pretended that she loved God?? Or possibly it would be better for her to have secret homosexual experiences with underage women?? THE MEN IN BLACK WITH THE WHITE COLLARS ARE THE TRUE SLUTS!!!
Ron
ronnt73@yahoo.com
Face it kids, repression is the breeding ground for rebellion. You’re going to tell me that the church (as an institution) doesn’t repress emotion and feeling? Of course it does. Take a look at the pilgrims who settled N. America…what was their outlet? Violence. In this day and age, sexual expression has replaced violence (as the latter is significantly more socially unacceptable).
Now, before any more flaming begins, I’ll also take care to point out that it isn’t JUST the church that represses people in this manner…take a look at Japan for example! Less than 1% of the population is christian, and yet the society is still strongly guided by the “proper” ideals of history gone by.
On that note, I do agree that a continual pattern of excess by any individual should be avoided. Ms. Church needs to get this out of her system (the quicker the better), and realize there’s a life ahead of her.
Oh, and on a separate note, how in the world are nude beaches lewd, disgusting and worth condemning? C’mon…grow up Joe…
I think the parallels between Charlotte and Britney are more significant than has been observed here. Both seem clearly to be acting out against a childhood that thrust them into the spotlight at a time when they needed to be taken care of and not exploited. As adults they have both violently rebelled against the images that were made for them. Britney was known as a midriff baring Lolita, so as an adult she has set about to gain weight, have children, and do everything in her power to make herself unappealing as if to smash the old persona. Charlotte seems to want to do everything she can to shatter the idea that she’s an ” angel “. How difficult must it be to be put into the role of seductress at the age of 15 with the implicit message that your looks are all that is important about you? And what insanity is it to be compared to an angel? The surest way to facilitate a fall is to place someone on a pedestal that’s too high.
Child stardom is risky, at best. Parents using impressionable kids as meal tickets are inviting rebellion and dysfunction. I understand the Christian outrage, but I think the more compelling issue isn’t religious at all, nor cultural. I see here a basic failure of the family structure. Parents need to raise their children with the goal of making happy, healthy adults. Charlotte doesn’t respect herself because the people who were supposed to teach her self respect exploited her instead. I’m willing to bet that she’s not particulaly angry with the Church, or God, or even George Bush. She’s angry at her parents and the public whom she (almost certainly subconciously) feels used her.
One side note, Eric seems to have wanted to shock or provoke you by disregarding your title and calling you Joe. You took the bait, Padre.
One of the biggest sticking points people have with the Catholic Church is the formality and inaccessability of the clergy. Correcting someone who may not even be Catholic, and who certainly isn’t one of your parishioners, comes off as arrogant and humorless.