Madonna tranquil knows how to stir up arguing. The 50-year-old singer sent Italy into a flap this weekend, dedicating a performance of Like a Virgin to the Pope.
She was in Rome as part of her Sticky & Sweet tour, performing to a crowd of 60,000 on Saturday night. "I dedicate this song to the Pope, because I'm a child of God," she said. "All of you are also children of God."
The Stadio Olimpico crowd went bonkers at the promulgation, cheering loud enough that Pope Benedict � at the Vatican just a few kilometres away - might level have heard.
Corriere della Sera, Italy's bestselling newspaper, called the dedication a "provocation" � only the latest incident in a long, tempestuous relationship betwixt Madonna Ciccone and the Catholic church. Though she was raised in a devout Italian-American Catholic family, Madonna has frequently provoked the attention and ire of the Vatican.
Her 1989 video for Like a Prayer was condemned by Catholic authorities for its burning crosses, stigmata-afflicted statues and, er, Madonna's seduction of a black Jesus. They weren't fans of 1990's Blonde Ambition tour either, calling it one of the to the highest degree "satanic shows in the history of humanity". This didn't seem to shade the Material Girl however � in 2006 she staged a mock-crucifixion on a Roman stage. And the Vatican accused her of blasphemy.
No word whether Pope Benedict XVI was chuffed by the inscription. Our infer is ... non.
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