“March of the Downtrodden” by Ooberfuse

Exposure to Contemporary Catholic music

Way back in 2010, the British electro-pop music group Ooberfuse released “Heart’s Cry”, the anthem to former Pope Benedict XVI’s papal visit to the United Kingdom. Though I forgot how or where I found this song, it is one of my most favorite songs ever, religious and overall.

Ooberfuse’s “Heart’s Cry” made me realize Catholic contemporary music can be cool and fun after all, just like the music of Don Moen, Hillsong, Plus One, Reliant K, and many other Christian artists that dominate (the predominantly Evangelical Protestant) Contemporary Christian music (CCM) genre.

It is not my first exposure to Contemporary Catholic music. Way back in 1999, 2001, and 2003, I listened to Filipino (and Catholic) artist Jamie Rivera’s “Jubilee Song”, “Lord, Heal Our Land”, and “Only Selfless Love”, the anthem to the Fourth World Meeting of the Families in Manila in 2003.

In 2001 or 2002, I read an article in a Catholic magazine that NSYNC and Britney Spears were among the performers for an album dedicated to John Paul II, who still lived that time.

Ooberfuse

In 2003, my mother bought my sister a religious music album. Although the album is a Catholic effort, the album is ecumenical, containing a Buddhist chant and a Muslim prayer for peace, among others.

Also in 2003, during the Holy Week, I saw a Catholic high school band performing on TV. I forget the name of the band and the TV special.

If I am not wrong, the Catholic Church happen to sing songs by Evangelical Protestants, including “Amazing Grace” composed by an anti-Catholic English minister. Non-Catholics like the Australian Guy Sebastian and the first American Idol Kelly Clarkson even performed for Benedict at his papal visits to Australia and America, respectively. In an article I read years ago, it is said that Hillsong received significant royalties from the Catholic Church.

A reminder of the frailties of Catholic clergymen

Ooberfuse released “March of the Downtrodden” in 2014. The song deals with Catholic clergy abuse and its accompanying music video features the stories of the plight of victims of clerical abuse.

I had listened to 11 songs by Ooberfuse prior to their “March of the Downtrodden” and it was only last year that I learned about this controversial song. I admit I was shocked that they, a Catholic band, would release such a song.

Ooberfuse have released singles to support Catholic vocation and raise awareness about persecution against Christians and the refugee crisis, among others. They also released anthems to the 2013 World Youth Day in Brazil and Pope Francis’ papal visit to the Philippines in 2015. I did not expect them to sing about a controversial subject.

In 2014, “March of the Downtrodden” got Ooberfuse disinvited from playing at the Catholic Underground, London’s biggest youth gathering. According to organizers, the song’s music video, which features quotes from abuse victims’ testimonies alongside images of distressed children, St Peter’s Basilica, and priests, painted a negative image of the Catholic Church’s handling of the clerical sex abuse scandal.

Organizers said that the “negative” stance taken by the “March of the Downtrodden” video would damage Catholic Underground’s “positive” mission. While they said criticism of the Church was essential, they added, “this is not the correct platform and means by which to do it”.

Saddened by the withdrawal of their invitation, Ooberfuse responded in a statement, “Many victims have been forbidden to tell their stories because of legal compromise agreements i.e. other regular channels of communication have been foreclosed. Given the silencing strategies of clergy abusers and their protectors, we are not aware there are many other means by which to address this topic.”

Ooberfuse explained that the point of “March of the Downtrodden” music video was to tell the story of clerical sexual abuse from the point of view of the victims.

I do not know if Ooberfuse is the first Catholic music group to address such a controversial subject. However, they were just one of the three bands I am aware to sing about it. The other two happened to be rock bands: Limp Bizkit and a Brazilian group whose name I forgot.

Not a good time for the Catholic Church

Anyone who has read and understood the Catholic Church’s earthly history will acknowledge the Church as a part human institution run by imperfect and fallible men and women, all of them prone to sin, heresy, and apostasy later at some point in their life and service to God. Therefore, the Church should not be stranger to bad press and bad publicity.

But how the church leaders handle the situation and deal with erring members, particularly sexually degenerate priests, is another matter.

Faithful Catholic Christians have been left reeling by recent events:

• Cardinal Theodore McCarrick of Washington resigns amid sexual abuse allegations
• Pennsylvania report on clerical sex abuse which involves over 300 priests
• Honduras cardinal Óscar Andrés Rodríguez Maradiaga allegedly protecting gay seminarians

Six years ago, I downloaded some e-books that tackle the topic of church sexual abuse, which the Boston Globe brought to national and international attention with its front page report on January 6, 2002. The epicenter of the abuse – and media attention and public condemnation – was the Archdiocese of Boston, formerly headed by Cardinal Bernard Francis Law who resigned on 2002 due to his mishandling of the sex abuse scandal in his archdiocese.

Jason Bach cartoon on Catholic Church sexual abuse

What “interesting” stuff did I learn from reading those e-books on clerical sexual abuse, of which former priests from the Archdiocese such as John Geoghan, Paul Shanley, Robert Meffan, and James D. Foley were the most infamous and notorious of the offenders?

There are many factors that contribute to the child sex abuse scandal in the Catholic Church.

• There exists a seminary underground in which homosexual promiscuity is rampant.
• There are Catholic priests like the defrocked Shanley who have adopted diabolical practices in their priestly ministry.
• There are priests that openly undermine Church theological and moral teachings.
• These sexually deviant priests become more open and bolder about their heretical beliefs relating to God and sex.
• They abuse their priestly ministry to flaunt their sexual immorality, preach heresy, and promote lifestyles contrary to the Gospel and Church teaching.
• A cabal of satanic, gay, and child-abusing priests is said to secretly operate in the Church and, worse, in the Vatican.
• In short, pedophilia and Satanism is secretly practiced by evil men in the churches and seminaries.
• Church leaders are complicit in the operation of satanic pedophile priests.
• Satanists infiltrate the Church with one goal in mind: world domination.
• Other than a satanic conspiracy in the Catholic Church, there is also a liberal, feminist conspiracy to eradicate the male, celibate priesthood.
• Ideological discrimination exists against orthodox candidates.
• Potential seminarians who are faithful and loyal to the magisterial teaching of the Pope and bishops are being persecuted.
• Vocations directors and leaders of certain religious orders turn away applicants who oppose women priesthood, defend Church’s teachings about homosexuality, artificial birth control, etc., and exhibit a strong piety toward religious devotions, such as the Rosary and Eucharistic Adoration.
• In some seminaries, the vocations directors are liberal nuns.
• Being the vocations directors, the liberal nuns reject candidates who oppose the ordination of women as priests.
• Psychiatrists and psychologists who perform evaluations on candidates or seminarians may not be Catholics or if they are, they have fallen away from Church teaching on sex and morality and embraced heresy.
• These psychiatrists deem orthodox candidates to be “sexually immature” or having an “unhealthy sexuality” or “sexual hang-ups”.
• Heterosexual men who oppose the gay lifestyle, not inclined to homosexuality, denounce masturbation and pornography as grossly immoral, and reject homosexuality in society and workplace are rejected for seminary.

A cartoon on Catholic Church sexual abuse

• Liberalism also helps bring Freemasonry and occultism into the Catholic Church.
• Liberals bring in corruption, immorality, heresy, and, worse, Satanism into the Catholic Church.
• Despite Church teaching against Freemasonry, liberal priests and prelates seek reconciliation with Freemasons.
• Freemasons, like satanic pedophile priests, have occupied high positions of power in the Catholic hierarchy.
• This would not be possible without the patronage of corrupt and liberal priests, many of them closet Freemasons and Satanists; the inaction and incompetence of good yet indecisive and powerless priests; and the ignorance and nonchalance of the Catholic laity.

What do you expect the Catholic Church to be if it lets liberal, sexually deviant, satanic pedophile priests to minister to the most vulnerable? What kind of leadership do you expect from liberal prelates who help introduce Freemasonry and occultism into the confines of a 2000-year-old institution?

The Irish connection

No longer a faithful daughter of the Church, the increasingly liberal Ireland voted to approve same-sex marriage in 2015. At this moment, the Irish government plans to legalize abortion by means of a popular vote.

Does it occur to you that many of the priests who were accused of sexual abuse have Irish-sounding names and/or surnames? That these sexually deviant priests come from Irish or Irish American background?

Does it occur to you that the epicenter of the clerical sex abuse scandal is in the Archdiocese of Boston, a bastion of Irish American Catholics? That the Catholic Church in Ireland has its great share of corruption and immorality committed by both priests and nuns?

Who will save the Catholic Church?

Father Malachi Martin, in an August 1996 banned interview for the American Family Association, reported that reported that 1 to 2% of priests in the Roman Catholic Church are practicing Satanists who are involved with some form of ritualized sexual abuse. He drew this statistic from a 1996 secret church study that he received from a Vatican source.

Let it be known that sexually deviant priests do not constitute the majority of priests and consecrated persons in the Church. They are just a tiny minority but a destructive minority that brings a disastrous impact upon all Catholics.

This evil minority should be dealt with not by words and ideals and not just through prayers and fasting… but with an ax and a gun.

There will always be corrupt priests and nuns and good but incompetent church leaders. There will always be people like Ooberfuse who calls for justice, accountability, and courageous and strong leadership.

Lay Catholics have no need for corrupt and sexually immoral church leaders. They need leaders who can achieve a balance of authority and service and are more assertive on contentious issues.

It is time that Catholics, after reading and reflecting on John 2: 14-22, Titus 1: 7-8, and Ephesians 4: 11-13, take concrete action. It is up to the laity to cleanse the Church and purge satanic pedophile, sexually deviant, and corrupt priests and nuns from the seminaries, convents, and parishes.

Onward to a renewed and holier Church and priesthood!

Image from the Church Militant's "The Vortex"

Rollin' (Air Raid Vehicle) by Limp Bizkit (2000)

Song evokes memories and images of 9/11

I cannot remember if this song was one of the nu metal tunes recorded by my classmate in the December of 2002. I cannot also recall the date or day when I first heard this song. All I know is that it was almost six years after this song was first released that I would get to watch the music video in one of my most memorable summers ever.

Why “Rollin’ (Air Raid Vehicle)” by Limp Bizkit? Right now, it is the morning of September 11. This song comes into mind.

Front man Fred Durst gyrating with a group of dancers. Image from zh.fanpop.com   

The date evokes memories of the 9/11 attacks in New York. Though the US-led coalition had successfully toppled down the terrorist regime in Afghanistan responsible for the tragedy, terrorism persists.

Look at the Islamic State (ISIS), Hamas, and Hezbollah in the Middle East, the Boko Haram in Nigeria, the ISIS-inspired Maute group in southern Philippines, and the lone wolves in America and Europe.

Even with the death of terrorists, the ideology lives. Osama Bin Laden is long dead (and could be enjoying his 72 virgins in paradise now) but the spirit of terrorism and the ideology/theology that inspires it live on in his supporters, from the remaining Al-Qaeda and Taliban militants in Afghanistan to radicals in America and Europe.

The world has yet to tally win the global war on terror.

The former Twin Towers at night

Watch the music video and you will see the Twin Towers in the background. Most people know what happened to New York’s former iconic buildings – they now serve as a memory of the tragic event that brought the world to its knees.

The Twin Towers are also a symbol of uprising against terrorism, against the cowards that espouse it. In no time, the terrorist regime in Afghanistan went down, flatter than the two buildings.

Limp Bizkit fooling around New York in a Bently Azure

Songs like that of Limp Bizkit will usher in our minds memories and images of the past, of historical events we can never forget, the lives lost that we mourn for, and the heroism of the people we will immortalize.

The world will never bow down to terrorists, whether jihadists, Christian fundamentalists, alt-right, leftists, whatever their political and/or religious persuasion.

Of course, music fans will never forget this song.

Our prayers go to the victims of terrorism and to those who put their lives on the line to serve and protect society against all forms of terrorism.

Image from https://susanfreeman.net 

#NeverForget
#September11
#NYC
#911remembrance

"Boom" by P.O.D (2002)

Classmate's blunder led to P.O.D

I first learned about P.O.D by mistake. My classmate was supposed to record me NSYNC songs, but recorded songs of Linkin Park, System of a Down, P.O.D, The Calling, and other rock acts instead. But I wasn't angry. It gave me something to listen to other than pop songs. It helped open the door for me to listen to other genres.

"Boom" by P.O.D single cover

Christian or not?

At first, I thought P.O.D (Payable on Death) was a rock band just like Linkin Park, Limp Bizkit, System of a Down, Korn, Rage Against The Machine, Incubus, and Slipknot. It was years later I realized they were a Christian act, and they were very comfortable with the label Christian. They were so open about their Christianity, though certain people have doubts about their brand of Christian expression.

To their critics, what's Christian about touring with music acts that despise or mock Christianity? Hmm, I wonder how P.O.D managed to conduct themselves in the secular and sometimes anti-religious music scene. I learned of two rock musicians, one who left his band after converting to Christianity and formed his own (Christian) band and another one who isn't happy about a band mate who mocked his Catholic faith.

What about the R&B group Destiny's Child? Are they still Christian when donning sexy outfit while singing onstage?

The other artist I knew that time to be open about their Christianity was the Christian pop artist Stacie Orrico.

I wonder where would P.O.D position themselves in the same sex marriage debate.

The band. From left, Marcos Curiel, Wuv Bernardo, Sonny Sandoval, and Traa

P.O.D, a band worthy of a listen

I didn't listen much to P.O.D but they have great songs, one of which is the fun, explosive track you're watching right now - my favorite. It seemed that the guys did have some R&R after their regular worship and praise. Why, even Jesus and His disciples needed some rest after a hard day's work among the unbelieving people of their time.

2002 was indeed the year of both rap metal and alternative rock. They had their last glorious stand in the following year, upon the release of Linkin Park's Meteora and Evanescence's Fallen. Their popularity died in 2004, when emo and power pop emerged.

How I wish it was 2002 again.

Here comes the boom!

"Papercut" by Linkin Park (2001)

Longing for the old Linkin Park

Too bad Linkin Park doesn't make music like this anymore, and we old fans are kept wanting for more nu metal or rap metal. We long for Chester Bennington shouting or screaming at the top of his lungs and Mike Shinoda blowing us away with his rap while the rest of the band play their instruments. We still long for the sound that's reminiscent of the songs in Hybrid Theory and Meteora.

"Papercut" single cover

The shift after Meteora

After the release of Meteora in 2003, the band began exploring other genres and experimenting with new sounds. The effort led to the release of their third studio album Minutes to Midnight in 2007. With the release of that record, they had deviated from the signature nu metal sound. More albums followed, with more alternative metal, electronic rock and rap rock, but no more nu metal. Mike still raps, though, like with their 2012 single "Burn It Down" and Chester still has his recognizable vocal.

With rock, particularly alternative rock and nu metal, not getting the sales and airplays they need nowadays, attention is getting scare for Linkin Park, though they still churn out albums and tour around with other bands.

The band doing their stuff

Linkin Park experience through people

First heard Linkin Park way back in 2002, when a classmate recorded "Papercut" and "In The End" instead of the NYSNC songs that I asked for. He even told me "Papercut" is an NSYNC song. After playing the song multiple times on the cassette player, I concluded NSYNC doesn't sound like that and realized my classmate lied to me, but I wasn't angry. I liked what I had heard, and I asked my classmate about the name of the band.

Months later, I bought a bootleg cassette of Hybrid Theory from another classmate and borrowed a VCD of music videos from another. Months later too, my mother sent me Meteora. I then started composing song lyrics and tried rapping too. Years later, I saw Megan Fox in Transformers.

But the nu metal sound is gone. As we should know, nothing is permanent but change. We need to adapt to change. Wherever Linkin Park goes, we go.

What's up with Limp Bizkit?