Rome, Italy, Feb 6, 2006 / 22:00 pm
It seems that the musical artist who gave the world “Bad”, may be interested in producing something profoundly good.
According to Father Giuseppe Moscati of the Edizioni Musicali Terzo Millennio, a group specializing in church music and one which has organized large musical events for the Holy See, associates close to pop star Michael Jackson say the down-on-his-luck superstar is interested in putting the words of the late Pope John Paul II to music.
The star, of “Thriller” fame, was recently cleared of numerous child molestation charges by a California court and is currently living in Bahrain.
"We have been contacted”, Moscati told the Reuters news agency, “by people close to Michael Jackson who have expressed interest and we are thinking about it."
"As a celebrity”, he pointed out, “[Jackson] is perhaps a bit remote from the teachings contained in the Pope's prayers. But if he can help us put together a group of singers that fulfill the criteria of the project then we'll study the proposal."
Fr. Moscati’s company, whose name translates as, the Millenium Music Society, owns the rights to 24 of John Paul II’s prayers and has reportedly been interested in putting them to music for some time.
Representatives from the Vatican said that the Holy See is not directly involved in the initiative.
Added Fr. Moscati however, "Michael Jackson is very interested in this project…We shall see what happens."