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.the 50-year old "Queen of Pop" told.
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".
"I dedicate this song to the pope, because I'm a child of God.the 50-year old "Queen of Pop" told.
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".
