Exorcist slams Celine Dion's gender-neutral clothing line as 'satanic'
A senior Roman Catholic priest and exorcist suggested there could be “demonic” influences behind pop icon Celine Dion’s new gender-neutral clothing line for children.
Msgr. John Esseff, the former spiritual director to Saint Teresa of Calcutta, told The National Catholic Register last week that "the way this gender thing has spread is demonic."
“It’s false. I don’t even know how many genders there’s supposed to be now, but there are only two that God made,” said the priest of 65 years, who has also served as an exorcist in the Diocese of Scranton, Pennsylvania, for over 40 years.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Esseff argued that there is a deep demonic dimension in creating such a clothing line.
“The devil is going after children by confusing gender,” he insisted. “When a child is born, what is the first things we say about that child? It’s a boy, or it’s a girl. That is the most natural thing in the world to say. But to say that there is no difference is satanic.”
"People behind this are influencing children to disorder. This is definitely satanic. There is a mind behind it — an organized mindset."
Last week, Dion released a promotional video for her new clothing line, CELINUNUNU, which features her breaking into a nursery full of babies separated and dressed by gender — blue for boys and pink for girls. In the video, comedic in nature, she transforms the colors of the babies' clothing into a gender-neutral black.
The website for CELINUNUNU says that it "liberates children from the traditional roles of boy/girl, and enables younger people to grow on values of equality with the freedom to strengthen their own power of personality based on mutual respect."
“People, and for that matter — little humans, express themselves through clothes. We would like to enable them to be who they are, so that their choices are driven by their own true essence and free spirit, beyond stereotypes or any norm,” it adds.
“The dialogue between clothes and creativity/art amplifies the discussion about a humanistic education, which is gender-free, strengthens the power of personality, and gives the spirit space to grow. This is the education that fashion can instill, based on the concept of equality and respect for humankind.”
Dion, who was raised as a devout Roman Catholic, recalled to CNN earlier this month that she had a revelation when she took her twin boys to Disney World and saw them going for non-traditional choices.
"I thought they were going to go for the big superheroes. They were looking at princesses. And they all wanted to be Minnie Mouse," the singer said.
"And then I said, 'But what about Mickey?'" she remembered asking. They replied, "'Oh, we like Mickey, but can we be ...' and I end up saying to myself, 'You know what, it's OK.' You know why it's OK? Because they're talking, they're finding themselves."
The five-time Grammy Award winner clarified that there’s “nothing wrong with the blues, pinks, yellows, grays, blacks, whites. I love all colors.”
"It's not because I think everyone should be dressed in black and white. ... It's about giving them freedom. Freedom of expression. Getting away from stereotype. Giving them the opportunity, before they speak, they already have a voice,” she stressed.
But Esseff believes the devil is behind the new clothing line. “The devil is a liar and there are huge lies being told,” he told The National Catholic Register. “This is being done for money, and there is divisiveness that comes from this — marks of the devil.”
