Arts & Entertainment

Westlake Appearance By Katy Perry's Parents Sparks Controversy

Keith and Mary Hudson's visit to Church on the Rise is gathering a lot of media attention.

Following two appearances at Church on the Rise in Westlake last week, Keith and Mary Hudson are seeing a media storm surrounding comments made about their daughter's divorce and the Jewish community.

The Hudsons, traveling ministers and parents of pop star Katy Perry, stopped at Church on the Rise where they spoke for the first time since the news of their daughter's divorce, reports Britain's The Sun.

Most reports of the service focus on a comment Mary Hudson made about her daughter's popularity, saying that God is finding many ways to bring people to church in 2012.

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Articles with headlines like "Katy Perry’s pastor parents say singer's split from Russell Brand was a gift from God to help with their church attendance," on the NY Daily News website and "Katy Perry's Parents: Divorce Was Sent By God"on HuffPost Divorce suggest the pop star's parents were happy to hear about their daughter's divorce.

Perry sent this message from her Twitter account on Saturday amidst the rumors: "Concerning the gossip, I want to be clear that NO ONE speaks for me. Not a blog, magazine, 'close sources' or my family."

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Other media outlets are reporting that Keith Hudson made anti-Semetic remarks during the service, quoting him as saying that having money makes Jewish people jealous, like in Britain's The Sun.

A request for comment to Church on the Rise pastor Paul Endrei was not immediately returned.

To read about the church's reaction:


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