Filipino Catholics Enraged at Concert Held Inside Mindoro Church

Catholics in the Philippines condemned a recent concert held inside a parish church on the island of Mindoro on social media, causing some of them, including priests, to insist on what the late Pope Benedict XVI called the “sense of the sacred.”

It is understood that a concert called “Heavenly Harmony” was held on Sunday (Oct. 6) inside the church of the Nuestra Señora del Pilar Parish, located in the town of Mamburao, Occidental Mindoro, as part of the town’s festivities in honor of its patroness, the Virgin Mary, under the title Our Lady of the Pillar.

@sunstardavao IS IT RIGHT OR WRONG? #Singer #JulieAnneSanJose #received #negative #comments from #netizens for her performance at the #NuestraSeñoraDelPilar #Shrine in #Mamburao, #OccidentalMindoro, on October 6, 2024. The event was called the #Heavenly #Harmony (Harana para kay #Maria) concert, where the artist performed several songs. Netizens criticized this move because the concert was held in a church, in addition to the singer’s allegedly “inappropriate” clothing and songs. However, it was clarified that the proceeds from the concert would be used for the development of the church. 🎥 Facebook/Viral video #SunStarEntertainment #AllYouNeedToKnow ♬ original sound – Sun Star Davao

The highlight of the show was singer-actress Julie Anne San Jose’s performance. Video clips of her performance went viral on social media after she performed ABBA’s song “Dancing Queen” at the church’s sanctuary as if it were a stage for the event. 

Holy and Righteous Anger

The response from Filipino social media users was quick and contagious. As the Philippines is a nation whose population has a Roman Catholic majority, most of the comments came from lay Catholics, while some Catholic priests condemned the act on their posts. 

Some comments demanded an apology from the parish’s pastor, the Rt. Rev. Msgr. Carlito Dimaano, for allowing the event to proceed. Others also demanded that the show’s audience either apologize or disavow the matter, as they were complicit in what some call an act of sacrilege. 

Others also commented on San Jose’s dress during her performance, which was backless and slit on the thigh, a major prohibition to women’s dresses in the Catholic Church.

A portion of the Code of Canon Law, promulgated by the Holy See in 1983 under Pope John Paul II, has been dedicated to how the Catholic Church should treat sacred places like churches, cathedrals, and basilicas. 

In particular, Canon 1210 stipulates that such sacred spaces should be reserved for “the exercise or promotion of worship, piety, or religion,” and anything outside such exercises should be forbidden. The local bishop of a certain diocese also judges what to allow in such sacred spaces, provided that events held in it are “not contrary to the holiness of the place.”

Canon 1212 added, “Sacred places lose their dedication or blessing if they have been destroyed in large part, or have been turned over permanently to profane use by decree of the competent ordinary (i.e., the local bishop) or in fact.”

A number of Catholics have cited both canons in response to the incident.

On the other hand, a Facebook post by the Rev. Oscar Roque, a priest of the Diocese of Tarlac, reacted to the incident by sharing what he thought was “10 Ways You are Desecrating the Church.” However, several Catholics, clergy and laity alike, dismissed Roque’s sentiments as condescending and gaslighting the critics of the Mindoro event. 

Roque later defended his commentary and has since disallowed comments on his Facebook account. 

Concerts have previously been held inside churches, but such events were usually limited to the performance of classical and sacred music by an orchestra, smaller ensembles, organists, choirs, or any combination of the four groups, with Las Piñas’s Bamboo Organ Festival every February to March as one example. 

Post-Event Apologies

Meanwhile, the Apostolic Vicariate of San Jose, the quasi-diocese under which the Mamburao parish is located, issued a statement regarding the incident. 

“Bishop Pablito M. Tagura, SVD … has already talked to [Msgr.] Carlito M. Dimaano,” the statement read in part, referring to Tagura as the apostolic vicar of the area. “[Msgr.] Dimaano took full responsibility for all that happened at this event.”

The statement added that Tagura ordered Dimaano to issue a public apology for the controversial event and that it asked forgiveness from those scandalized by it.

For his part, Dimaano issued a public apology to his bishop, to San Jose and Jessica Villaburin, who also performed at that event, and to the Catholics who responded in outrage.

“I admit that we made the wrong decisions about this,” he wrote in Tagalog. “I take full responsibility for all these wrongdoings.”

Dimaano added he learned from the incident and promised to avoid such events in the future. 

However, the reception of these apologies was mixed. 

Some people were quick to notice that the apology not only lacked the physical signature of the priest but also lacked a public apology addressed to the Christian God, as some perceived the deity and his house of worship to be the most mocked in the incident. They also noticed that Tagura did not order the priest to issue an apology to the deity. Other comments adamantly demanded that Dimaano and his parish conduct acts of reparation and penance to rectify the issue. 

A few even suggested that the incident was the consequence of what they perceived as the dumbing down of Catholic concepts of sacred spaces and liturgy since the church’s 1969 reforms, which resulted from the Second Vatican Council.

On the other hand, some accepted the apology and hoped that a similar incident would not happen again. 

Philippine media network GMA reported that its artist management, Sparkle, also issued an apology regarding the event as San Jose is under its management. 

“Julie Anne only fulfilled her duties and commitment as a true professional,” the statement read. “She is a devout Catholic and had no intention of disrespecting the [Catholic] Church and its members.”

San Jose herself issued her own apology on Facebook and as an Instagram story, saying that she only intended to support a cause by performing at a benefit concert but committed to avoiding similar incidents in the future. 

“I pray that we can all move forward with compassion in our hearts,” she concluded.