In the midst of Pope Francis' first visit to the U.S., one entertainer who has found in trouble with the church on more than one occasion decided to show support for the religious leader she referred to as the "Popey-Wopey" during a section of her Rebel Heart tour. During Madonna's Philadelphia gig Thursday night, the singer showcased tons of religious imagery throughout her show, complete with female performers dressed as nuns and, well, pole dancing on crosses.
"Rules are for fools. That's why I like the new pope. He seems very open-minded," Madonna announced to the Philadelphia crowd, People reports. "The pope is stalking me," she said, detailing that she recently performed in New York, where Francis stayed up until Saturday morning. "Either he's a copycat or he's secretly in love with me."
After scaling the top of a table in a shimmery, clingy dress, the 57-year-old performer noted: "I made it. Can the pope do that?" She added, "I've been excommunicated from the Catholic Church three times. It shows the Vatican really cares."
She later addressed the fact that the "Popey-Wopey" was en route to Philadelphia and took the opportunity to dedicate a heartfelt rendition of "La Vie en Rose" to the Pontiff who has a pop-rock album of his very own, titled "Wake Up!"
The "La Isla Bonita" singer was raised in Michigan as a Roman Catholic yet she has a quite long history of outraging the Catholic church. Her 1989 "Like A Prayer" music video featured imagery that shocked religious leaders across the world including the burning of crosses and stigmata. A year later, her 1990 Blond Ambition tour boasted simulated masturbation which saw direct condemnation from the Vatican, Billboard notes. In 2006, the singer staged a fake crucifixion just a few miles away from the Vatican, but she hasn't been utterly banished.
The Rebel Heart tour previously saw comedic assistance from Amy Schumer for a few New York dates, which found the Inside Amy Schumer star twerking onstage alongside the "Papa Don't Preach" singer.
