Madonna makes dedication to Pope
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Madonna kicked off her Sticky And Sweet tour in August. (AFP: Leon Neal)
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 And 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 its 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.
- Reuters
