Like a Virgin dedicated to pope
2008-09-07 21:16
Rome - Pop star Madonna, once
accused by the Vatican of staging one of the most Satanic shows
in history, surprised fans by dedicating her hit Like a Virgin
to the pope at a sold-out concert held in Rome.
"I dedicate this song to the pope, because I'm a child of
God. All of you are also children of God," the 50-year old
"Queen of Pop" told the 60 000 fans that flocked to the Italian
stop of her Sticky & Sweet world tour on Saturday.
Italian newspapers gushed over the singer's electric
performance and called the dedication a surprising provocation.
"At the Roman leg of her tour, Madonna didn't miss the
opportunity for a provocation that will certainly be discussed,"
Italy's top newspaper Corriere della Sera said in a front-page
report.
Madonna, who comes from a devout Italian Catholic family,
has raised the ire of the Catholic Church in the past with
sexually charged antics designed to shock.
In 2006, she staged a mock-crucifixion at a concert in Rome
to the backdrop of accusations from the Vatican of blasphemy.
The Vatican also condemned her controversial 1989 video for
the song Like a Prayer that featured burning crosses, statues
crying blood and Madonna seducing a black Jesus.
The Vatican later panned a show where she decked the stage
out with religious imagery as one of the most "Satanic shows in
the history of humanity".