Beware of 'disrespect and pornography' says Singaporean archbishop while objecting to upcoming Madonna concert
Authorities have assured the archbishop that restrictions have been placed to ensure that content deemed offensive to religious beliefs would not be allowed on stage.
Singapore’s Roman Catholic archbishop has expressed concern at an upcoming concert by pop diva Madonna in the city-state and warned his flock against supporting those who “denigrate and insult religions”.
Archbishop William Goh said in a statement posted on the diocese website on Saturday that he had met various government officials to express the church’s concerns about the February 28 concert, part of her global Rebel Heart Tour.
The concert, at the 55,000-seat National Stadium, will be Madonna’s first ever in largely conservative Singapore. She was barred from performing in Singapore in 1993 after police said her performances bordered on the obscene and were “objectionable to many on moral and religious grounds”.
Goh said that in a multi-ethnic society like Singapore “we cannot afford to be overly permissive in favour of artistic expression at the expense of respect for one’s religion”.
We cannot afford to be overly permissive in favour of artistic expression at the expense of respect for one’s religion
Authorities have assured the archbishop that restrictions have been placed to ensure that content deemed offensive to religious beliefs would not be allowed on stage, the church statement said.
The Media Development Authority has restricted the concert to those aged 18 and above because of sexual references.