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Lauryn Hill Disses The Catholic Church


12-15-03 Keavin
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Update: The Vatican got an earful from Lauryn Hill when she blasted the Catholic Church from the stage during a Christmas Concert on Saturday. 

Hill was invited to participate in the Christmas Concert at the Vatican which was filmed for Italian TV. Hill took the opportunity to accuse the church of exploitation and moral corruption, alluding to sexual abuse of children by U.S. priests and challenged them to repent. 

Instead of taking to the stage and performing as planned, Hill instead stood before the microphone and read a lengthy statement criticizing the Church for failing to crack down on priests who abuse children.

"I'm not here to celebrate, like you, the birth of Christ, but to ask you why you are not in mourning for his death in this place," Hill said.

"Holy God has witnessed the corruption of your leadership of the exploitation and abuses which are the minimum that can be said for the clergy."

"I realize some of you may be offended by what I'm saying, but what do you say to the families who were betrayed by the people in whom they believed?"

The Church was not pleased with the outburst. Cardinal Camillo Ruini, a senior member of the Holy Sea attended the concert. 

Ruini is the Pope's vicar for Rome and the head of the Italian Bishops Conference, although he and Church did not have an official comment on Hill�s statement, Allhiphop.com reports that his aid accused the singer of disrespecting "the place she was in and for those who invited her."

Hill reportedly did not perform the song she was scheduled to sing but instead performed a protest song. 

According to that same report, Hill�s statement and performance are expected to be edited out of the concert when it is broadcast on Italian television on Christmas Eve. 
 
 
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