Catholic Priest Wants One Direction Banned From Philippines
They may be the biggest boy band on the planet right now, but an official representing the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) is calling for One Direction to be banned from performing in the Philippines.
The Hollywood Reporter (through The Manila Times) reports that Fr. Conegundo Garganta, executive secretary of the CBCP-Episcopal Commission on the Youth, has asked the government to consider stopping One Direction from performing in the Philippines on March 2015. “Do not lead [the youth in] the wrong direction,” he said.
Fr. Garganta made his remarks in the wake of a five-minute video leak which shows Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik smoking marijuana while touring in Peru.
“Why admit poisonous influences? There is enough poison in our society,” he said. “Parents should stop their children from buying the expensive concert tickets of [drug addicts].”
Garganta described the issue as a “challenge to the sense of culture” of Filipinos.
As of now, One Direction is still scheduled to perform in Manila as planned.