NEW YORK, New York, May 9, 2018 (LifeSiteNews) – Cardinal Timothy Dolan has defended the controversial 2018 Met Gala as “a celebration of what we call the evangelization of culture.”
“I did not find the spirit of the evening to be offensive or blasphemous at all,” the cardinal told Crux of the event where a Victoria’s Secret model dressed as a sexy cardinal alongside dozens of other celebrities in sultry Catholic-themed outfits.
“Was some of it edgy? Yes, but I never met any person that seemed to be snippy or snotty about the Church, or who intended anything to be offensive,” said Dolan.
He continued:
“We could have had a lecture at the museum on the Catholic imagination and not too many people may have showed up, especially the crowd from last night. But when you do an evening like that, you get everybody.”
“Boy, you talk about the public square – with some of the movers and shakers who were there – and they’re reminded of positive memories of the Church and of devotions, prayers, traditions, and liturgies, as many of them told me they were. This could only be for the good of the Church.”
“I was really happy to have been there. If this helps people rediscover those roots, then hallelujah, it’s a winner.”
Other celebrity costumes at the Met Gala included a sexualized Blessed Virgin Mary, Rihanna dressed as a pope, and “flesh-flashing” outfits adorned with Christian symbols, as Piers Morgan put it.
All LifeSiteNews coverage of the 2018 Met Gala can be viewed here.