Weird Madonna at World Youth Day 2019

World Youth Day 2019 was held in Panama City in January, and Pope Francis conducted an open air papal mass for about half a million devotees on the last day. Behind the altar was a painting of the typical long-haired hippie Jesus and on the altar was a Madonna holding the monstrance. The Mary image features a halo, signifying Mary as the Queen of Heaven. Her position between Jesus and the people, and the fact that she is holding the monstrance, which is the container for the consecrated wafer or host, which is the very Jesus Himself according to official Catholic theology, depicts Mary’s position as Mediator. The Second Vatican Council proclaimed, “[T]he Blessed Virgin is invoked in the Church under the titles of Advocate, Helper, Benefactress, and Mediatrix” (Vatican Council II--The Conciliar and Post Conciliar Documents, “Dogmatic Constitution on the Church,” chap. 8, II, 62, pp. 382-383). But the Mary image at the papal mass is mostly empty from the breasts down where body should be and has extraordinarily long thin legs. We don’t know exactly what the thing is supposed to signify, but it is very strange and New Agey. Many popular Contemporary Christian Music groups have participated in papal masses or have performed at forums where masses were conducted, including Hillsong and Darlene Zschech, Lincoln Brewster, Tammy Borden, Switchfoot, Newsboys, Norma Jean, Steven Curtis Chapman, Casting Crowns, Underoath, Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir, Sanctus Real, the Gaithers, Matt Maher, Graham Kendrick, Jack Hayford, John Michael Talbot, Rich Mullins, Sandi Patty, Michael W. Smith, John Wimber of the Vineyard churches, Third Day, TobyMac, Kari Jobe, David Crowder, Kirk Franklin, Passion, and Jeremy Camp. At World Youth Day 2019, the Pope urged the young people to work for Christian unity, claiming that disunity is of the devil. “True love ... harmonizes [differences] in a superior unity. On the other hand, we know that the father of lies prefers people who are divided.” This is the ecumenical philosophy that is building the end-time one world “church,” and contemporary music is its most practical and effectual element.

​(Friday Church News Notes, February 8, 2019, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143)

---