CBCP head disowns priest's remark on ban vs. One Direction

The president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) on Wednesday disowned the statement of a Catholic priest, who called for a ban on the band One Direction after two of its members were caught on video allegedly smoking marijuana.

 

CBCP president Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas said One Direction wasn't condemnable even if some of its members were seen smoking pot.

 

"In the first place that some members smoked marijuana or contraband does not make its group itself condemnable," Villegas said.

 

"One Direction has so many young followers. We condemn a group they idolize you condemn them…there has to be a better way of leading them to right path. CBCP loves and reaches out to the youth,” he added.

 

Villegas said the statement on banning One Direction made by Fr. Kunegundo Garganta was Garganta personal opinion.  Villegas said it wasn't the CBCP's.

 

"This was an individual’s position but CBCP is being implicated in it again. I think this is unnecessary exposure of CBCP to adverse reaction," Villegas in a text message.

 

Garganta is the executive director of the CBCP Episcopal Commision on Youth.

 

One Direction is scheduled to perform at the MOA Arena in March 2015. -NB, GMA News