Music and TV star Katy Perry made big news for stealing a kiss on the lips from teenager Benjamin Glaze at his audition for “American Idol,” where she is one of three judges. She’s also attempting to acquire the Catholic convent owned by the Immaculate Heart of Mary Sisters in Los Angeles, where one of the sisters literally dropped dead during a court hearing, and the rest are fighting for their lives and property.
This is how ABC News decided to spin the stolen kiss:
I don’t know how the topic of Benjamin Glaze saving himself for the right woman came up, but the judges were fascinated that he was 19 and hadn’t been romantically kissed. Glaze told Katherine Rosman of The New York Times: “Would I have done it if she said, ‘Would you kiss me?’ No, I would have said no,” he said. “I know a lot of guys would be like, ‘Heck yeah!’ But for me, I was raised in a conservative family and I was uncomfortable immediately. I wanted my first kiss to be special.”
Rosman further describes: Ms. Perry motioned for him to come over to the judges’ table and stuck her face toward him. “One on the cheek?” he said and she smiled. He quickly touched his face to her cheek. She asked for another kiss, complaining that he hadn’t even made the “smush sound.” As he moved toward her cheek again, Ms. Perry swung her face toward him and kissed him quickly on the lips. “Katy!” he yelled, as he stumbled backward. “You didn’t!” Ms. Perry raised her arms in victory.
On February 14, “American Idol” made fun of Benjamin Glaze on their Facebook with the caption: “He kissed a girl and he liked it! Happy Valentine’s Day!”
After The New York Times interview and many others, Glaze wrote an update on Facebook and he took it like a man. In part, he said: “Hi everyone, I would like to clear a few things up for anyone who is confused, concerned, or angry. … I am not complaining about the kiss, I am very honored and thankful to have been apart of American Idol. … I should have been able to perform under pressure.”
The Sisters of the Immaculate Heart don’t fare so well. They suffer heartbreaking losses thanks to Katy Perry and the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles, California, led by Archbishop José Gomez. In brief, these sisters are a pontifical religious order who answers to the pope and Vatican. They own their motherhouse convent and everything on their beautiful estate. According to the sisters and legal documents they provide, under Gomez the archdiocese seized their real estate and financial holdings and it is shocking.
On March 9, when feisty Sisters Rita Callanan and Catherine Rose Holzman went to a court hearing, Sister Holzman (right) collapsed and died. Below is the excellent report by local Fox News Channel 11.
Prior to Sister Holzman’s death, she and Sister Callanan made the following documentary. Callanan is former superior general of the religious order and Holzman was former treasurer. The order is down to few survivors, so they wanted to sell their real estate to an investor who would honor its beauty and sacred tradition. It was their home and the site of numerous Catholic religious retreats that employed a staff of 18 people. The IHM Sisters also rented areas of the property to select filmmakers and TV producers for day shoots of Catholic scenes. Under Archbishop Gomez, the archdiocese claims jurisdiction over the property and the sisters said a priest broke into their office and stole their legal documents and records, seized their bank accounts, and dispersed the five remaining sisters away from one another. Sister Callanan further revealed that she is too poor to pay for food and cancer treatment.
The archdiocese reportedly sold the convent to Katy Perry for $14.5 million, they stated the money will go to an “IHM Institute,” and accused Callanan’s and Holzman’s lawyers of “frivolous motions and media tactics misrepresenting the facts.” Good heavens. The sisters speak for themselves.
The IHM Sisters asked Pope Francis for help. They need him and the proper Vatican authorities to step in.
Some Catholics might think that Callanan’s opinions about women in the Church are incorrect. Still, they are correct about their legal standing and rights, and this is a terrible shame. We are seeking further input on the matter from Catholic authorities.
The IHM Sisters’ documentary is 1 hour and 4 minutes. They offer a newsletter and this documentary on their website StandwiththeSisters.org.
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