The Vatican recently invited controversial pop singer Katy Perry to speak at a conference for Unite to Cure, where she talked about transcendental meditation.
The singer, who grew up in a Christian household with her evangelist parents, shared why she practices meditation to help with her anxiety, hangovers or jet lag. Perry emphasized that meditation isn't religion but she makes a habit of it because it helps care for her body as a temple.
"I was raised in a Christian household," the singer said. "I was raised around the idea that our body is a temple," Perry added. "I think if our body is truly a temple, we have to take care of it mind, body and soul and this takes care of your mind."
The "Firework" hitmaker said that meditation helps her body and mind open up, which in turn helps her become a better music artist.
Perry learned to meditate from Bob Roth, who also attended the Unite to Cure conference. Roth spoke about the "Roar" singer's influence on her young fans and said that because of Perry, some 600,000 kids have learned to meditate and improve their health as well.
The Vatican organizes the Unite to Cure conference regularly after Pope Benedict XVI began the program in 2011. The event, however, has drawn criticisms this year because of its promotion of non-Christian practices, such as transcendental meditation.
"For Katy Perry to speak about Transcendental Meditation from the same seat used by the Pope during major Church meetings is symbolic of the chaos, disorientation and scandal that marks this pontificate," a critic shared to LifeSiteNews.
Perry has been in the headlines lately over an ongoing lawsuit against the nuns of the Most Holy and Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary in California to buy their convent.
