Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on a video clip from the May 7 HBO documentary, “Lady Gaga Presents The Monster Ball Tour: At Madison Square Garden”:
After criticizing Lady Gaga for tweaking Catholic sensibilities with her Easter present—releasing “Judas,” her single from Born This Way—we are now in a position to say something positive about the addlepated culture queen. A clip from her upcoming HBO documentary, readily available online, offers a new look at her. Shown applying makeup backstage before a recent Madison Square Garden event, and obviously distraught, she starts out angry but then segues into a confessional stance: she prays to God in a manner that cannot be staged. Indeed, her sincerity shines through.
Lady Gaga begins her prayer with reverence, offering, “Dear Lord, thank you so much for the blessings of all my friends, my fans, and my family.” Shortly thereafter she says, “Dear Lord, please give me strength to be a winner for all of them and not for myself. Dear Lord, remind me to empower not myself but to empower all those people around me because that is my gift.” She then asks God for courage, begging, “Do not let me give in to my own insecurities. Allow me to walk in Your way.”
Is this Lady Gaga’s epiphany moment? It may be. One thing is for sure: she has not lost her Catholic roots. In fact, the belligerence of her opening statement, coupled with her unhappy demeanor, contrasts sharply with her prayerful and peaceful exit.
We hope this is not just a convenient pivot. We hope Lady Gaga sets anchor in the religion of her upbringing and finds lasting peace. We wish her well. And, yes, the offer to buy her a beer—promised last week on TV—still stands.
Contact HBO co-president Richard Plepler praising him for including this prayerful statement: richard.plepler@hbo.com
