Filipino Archbishop of Lipa, Ramon Arguelles, has urged Catholics not to attend a concert by international pop star Madonna who is in Manila to promote her new album Rebel Heart.
Madonna, 57, arrived in Manila on 22 February for the Philippines leg of her tour that started in Montreal last September.
She performed yesterday and will appear again tonight in the same hall where Pope Francis met Filipino families a year ago.
In a statement reported by Reuters news agency, the archbishop asked: "Why is the Catholic Philippines the favourite venue for blasphemy against God and the Holy Mother?”
“All God-loving people should avoid sin and occasions of sin,” he continued.
"I admonish the faithful to be wary of the subtle attacks of the evil one”. "Let us pray for our country that the devil will not succeed to draw anyone … to his evil ways".
Madonna has been known for performances that reference Catholic symbolism. Past hits, such as Like a Prayer, where the video is set in a Catholic church, and previous world tours in which she wore a crown of thorns as part of her performance, have been found by Catholics to be offensive and disrespectful.
Catholics make up about 80 percent of the Philippine population of more than 100 million and the Church has strong influence there.
In 2012, Arguelles opposed the Manila concert of Lady Gaga as the work of Satan. In the wealthy neighbouring city state of Singapore, where Madonna is scheduled to perform on Sunday, Catholic leaders have also expressed grave concern.
"It is our moral obligation not to support those who denigrate and insult religions, including anti-Christian and immoral values promoted by the secular world,” Singapore Archbishop William Goh said on the archdiocese website.
“As the people of God, we should subscribe to authentic Arts that lead us to God through the appreciation of beauty, harmony, goodness, truth and love, respect, unity and the transcendent; and not support the ‘pseudo arts’ that promote sensuality, rebellion, disrespect, pornography, contamination of the mind of the young, abusive freedom, individualism at the expense of the common good, vulgarity, lies and half-truths,” he continued.
The statement reassured Catholics that the archbishop had been in touch with Singaporean authorities, which had given their assurances that restrictions were in place to ensure religiously offensive content that breaches local guidelines would not be allowed on stage.
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