Young Nun Wows Judges on Italy's 'The Voice'

Rome, Italy, Mar 20, 2014 / 01:00 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Sr. Cristina Scuccia is a 25 year old member of the Ursuline Sisters of the Holy Family who has appeared on "The Voice of Italy," a reality show akin to "American Idol" or "Britain’s Got Talent."

Sr. Cristina surprised the four judges on The Voice of Italy March 19 with both her talent and her habit.

The judges on the show begin with their backs turned to the performer, and turn around only if they like what they hear.

As the judges turned to face Sr. Cristina, their astonishment was visible at seeing a young nun singing Alicia Keys’ “No One.”

A native of Sicily, Sr. Cristina arrived at the show accompanied by four sisters from her community, as well as her parents.

The four judges of the popular TV program are the Italian singers Raffaella Carra, J-Ax, Noemi, and Piero Pelu.

After her performance, Carra asked Sr. Cristina if she is really a nun, and why she chose to compete on the show.

“Yes, I am truly, truly a sister,” she replied.

 

“I came here because I have a gift and I want to share that gift. I am here to evangelize.”

According to the show’s format, when a participant receives the approval of the judges, they then choose which judge’s team to join.

Sr. Cristina chose J-Ax “because I told myself that if they turned around, I would choose the first one.”

J-Ax, who was visibly moved when he saw Sr. Cristina, said he was thrilled to have been chosen by the most popular participant on the show.

Sr. Cristina is trending on Twitter with “#suorcristina.”

Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, president of the Pontifical Council for Culture, used the hashtag in a tweet Thursday, commending her for sharing her talent with the Italian people: “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others (1 Peter 4:10)”.

Put Simply: Religion Matters

From Real Clear Religion

By Tony Blair

(Note: The following was excerpted from Blair's keynote speech at Monterrey Tecnológico University in Mexico on Tuesday. The full text of the speech can be found here.) 

A new type of debate is taking shape. It can centre around immigration or protectionism but it is above all, about issues to do with culture and integration and it is altogether more vigorous and potentially more explosive. In the Middle East, it is about whether the West fundamentally respects or does not the religion of Islam; and the Israel-Palestine dispute is caught up with it. In Europe, it is about whether our attempt to integrate cultures has succeeded or failed; and insofar as there is a perception of failure, it is about whether our "generosity" in allowing inward migration and encouraging multi-culturalism has been abused. Here it is often felt that the "host" nations are being unfairly taken advantage of by those who want Western benefits but not Western values. The economic challenge is intensifying the cultural one.

In meeting this challenge, democracy and even economic change are not enough. There is a social challenge too. Do we want societies that are open to those who have different faiths and cultures to our own traditions; or do we want, in the face of insecurity and economic crisis, to close down, to look after what some would call "our own" first and foremost? And if we want open ones, what are the conditions for such openness to prevail?