In secular France, young people converting to Christian rock

Published: 2004-08-31

PARIS (CNS) -- Outside a Paris concert hall, a smartly dressed couple hurriedly finishes a sandwich. High school students and young parents with toddlers in tow stream past them. All converged on one of Paris' famous rock and blues stages to hear Paddy Kelly, a 27-year-old rock singer. Inside the Cigale concert hall, by the end of the first set, fans have formed a friendly mosh pit. Some are standing on the venue's red velvet seats, their raised arms swaying to Kelly's beat. The Irish singer, who started his showbiz career with his brothers and sisters as part of the Kelly Family band, sings rock with an electric sound. Kelly is a rocker with attitude -- a Christian attitude. Earlier this summer, thousands gathered to hear Kelly and other bands at an open-air festival staged in front of Lyon's Saint-Jean Cathedral. The show included pop and rock bands and reggae ensembles of different musical styles and languages, all united by a common Christian theme. In France, a land known for its proud secularism, Christian rock is making a splash and attracting a growing wave of converts.

Copyright (c) 2004 Catholic News Service /U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The CNS news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed, including but not limited to such means as framing or any other digital copying or distribution method, in whole or in part without the prior written authority of Catholic News Service .