The transcript of the original video has been edited slightly for clarity and brevity.
CV NEWS FEED // A Franciscan priest recently encouraged young Catholics to discern whether they should stop supporting celebrities such as Taylor Swift, out of genuine love and concern for them.
On December 4 Ascension Presents published a video of Franciscan Friar of the Renewal (CFR) Father Mark-Mary explaining the dangers of supporting or contributing money to celebrities and platforms who support abortion, such as Taylor Swift, Joe Rogan and Tesla.
“Out of love for Taylor Swift, should we take a step back from listening to Taylor Swift?” Mark-Mary asked at the beginning of the video.
The question comes after a record-breaking year for Taylor Swift, a pro-abortion singer who went on a multi-continental tour this summer that made approximately $4 billion. Music streaming platform Spotify ranked her the Global Top Artist of 2023 and most-streamed artist of the year.
Mark-Mary encouraged fans to consider stepping back from listening to her music, offering it up as a sacrifice for her conversion.
“In a spiritual sense, to make a sacrifice, can we step back from some of these?” he asked:
Maybe you really love this [Tesla] car, maybe you really love the conversations on the Rogan podcast, maybe you really loved the music, but let’s be discerning as much as possible. We want to avoid contributing money, or amplifying a platform, which supports abortion.
Mark-Mary referenced the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) which recently reaffirmed the opposition of abortion as the “preeminent priority” of the upcoming 2024 elections. According to the bishops, “the preeminent right, on which all other rights are contingent, is the right to life,” Mark-Mary said. “Abortion continues to be a huge issue in the world and in the United States, and we have to do something to oppose it.”
He urged pro-life Christians to take the issue of abortion seriously, although it may hurt. “It’s going to cost, but it comes from a place of charity for the unborn, for a culture of life, but for these individuals as well, who we want to be with for all eternity,” he said.
“Taylor Swift, after the overturning of Roe vs. Wade, reshared a Michelle Obama tweet and added her own voice to it, and so she is also using her massive platform and influence to sort of personally, proactively, contemporarily, actually advocate for abortion,” he explained.
Providing other examples of pro-abortion platforms and companies, Mark-Mary said,
Tesla, as a company, said if your state doesn’t allow abortions, we’re going to help provide money for you to be able to go and to get an abortion out of state. Joe Rogan hasn’t proposed himself necessarily as an advocate for abortion, but he’s definitely been for it. He’s definitely said he’s against [abortion] being illegal and he’s advocated in some way on his massive podcast platform.
Mark-Mary clarified, “I believe that these people are well-intentioned and have helped many in different ways. But now it’s our time to help them.” He continued:
Out of love for Taylor Swift and maybe the ways in which she has been with you as you’ve grown up and how her songs have spoken to your heart, can you take a step back from listening to her, out of love for her?
He explained that never experiencing consequences is “a really dangerous way to live.” Further, he argued that an awareness of consequences can help keep people safe, especially because our consciences can warn us when we are on a dangerous path.
He also noted that there is a difference between “consequences and cancel culture.”
“It’s particularly in this area of abortion, and advocating for it, [that] individuals and companies need to have some experience of consequences, at the service of the illumination of their conscience, and ultimately, their conversion,” he said:
Because those who are actively, publicly, contemporarily, either supporting, helping someone to get, or advocating for abortion, they’re on a dangerous path, and to allow them to continue to live their entire lives down that path, without consequences, is not charity. It’s not authentic love for them.
He continued, “What we desire is this: Elon Musk has this great mind. We desire, out of love for him, that this mind is given the gift and the grace to contemplate the beauty and the truth of God for all of eternity. There’s got to be some consequence at the service of conversion.” He added that people should discern similarly with listening to Joe Rogan’s platform.
“And Taylor Swift, out of love for her, don’t we want her beautiful voice to be able to sing the praises of God for all eternity? And I’m sure she has this beautiful heart, and don’t we want this beautiful heart to be able to know and to love God, and to experience the love of God the Father forever?” he asked:
But these people who are, out of whatever reason, advocating for abortion, advocating for the killing of innocent life in the womb, they’re not on that path right now. And we need to help them, out of love for them, get on that path…
The place we’re coming from is a place of charity: consequences and charity at the service of conversion, at the service of eternal salvation, contemplation, and adoration of God forever. It’s messy. It’s complicated. It’s hard–but I’m going to encourage you just to discern it, and to pray about it. Bring it to the Lord. And see again if he’s inviting you, out of love for these individuals to make a sacrifice on their behalf.
