Mainstream star Lauren Hill makes onstage attack of the Roman Catholic Church.

MAINSTREAM R&B diva Lauren Hill caused controversy recently by severely criticising the Roman Catholic Church during a concert at the Vatican. She told the audience, which included senior church officials, that the church had been corrupted by its clergy. Hill alluded to high profile cases of sex abuse of children by priests in the US. Her speech and performance was cut from the concert when it is aired on Italian TV on Christmas Eve.

The comments came in a huge hall used by the Pope for his weekly addresses. Said Hill, "God has been a witness to the corruption of his leadership, of the exploitation and abuses.by the clergy." Standing just yards from five of the most senior cardinals in the Roman Catholic faith, Hill told the crowd to seek blessings "from God not men" and said she did "not believe in representatives of God on earth." She then went on to sing a song about social injustice which was not the one listed on the programme. CR

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.