Madonna dedicates song to ‘Popey Wopey’ and jokes religious leader is ‘stalking’ her
Madonna dedicated a song to Pope Francis before joking that the religious leader was stalking her as she took to the stage in Philadelphia as part of her Rebel Heart Tour.
The Queen of Pop gave the Pontiff – who is due to make the last stop of his tour in Philadelphia this weekend – her blessing during his first US visit.
Taking to the stage at the Wells Fargo Centre the tongue-in-cheek singer said: "Rules are for fools. That's why I like the new pope. He seems very open-minded."
Madonna – who recently performed in New York – later joked that the leader of the Roman Catholic Church is “stalking her”.
Madonna at Madison Square Garden
"The pope is stalking me," she said, referring to New York, where Pope Francis is currently touring. “Either he’s a copycat or he’s secretly in love with me.
"I've been excommunicated from the Catholic Church three times. It shows the Vatican really cares."
She then told the audience, "Since Popey-wopey is on his way over here, I want to dedicate this song to him," before launching into a version of La Vie en Rose.
Taking to Twitter after the show – which featured female performers wearing nuns’ habits as they pole danced on crosses – the provocateur told her followers that she hoped Pope Francis would pay her a visit.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Shhhhhhhh................the Pope is in my neighborhood! Im hoping he pays me a visit! hes a <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/rebelheart?src=hash" class="body-link" data-vars-item-name="BL-2955786-https://twitter.com/hashtag/rebelheart?src=hash" data-vars-event-id="c23">#rebelheart</a> 2 <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://t.co/HDrHospy0B" class="body-link" data-vars-item-name="BL-2955786-http://t.co/HDrHospy0B" data-vars-event-id="c23">pic.twitter.com/HDrHospy0B</a> — Madonna (@Madonna) <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/Madonna/status/647336000394522624" class="body-link" data-vars-item-name="BL-2955786-https://twitter.com/Madonna/status/647336000394522624" data-vars-event-id="c23">September 25, 2015</a>
Alongside a row of praying hands emojis she posted: “Shhhhhhhh................the Pope is in my neighbourhood! I’m hoping he pays me a visit! He’s a #rebelheart 2.”
Madonna was raised Roman Catholic in Michigan but has faced condemnation from the Vatican throughout her pop career.
She outraged religious leaders with her 1989 video for Lika A Prayer which featured stigmata and burning crosses.
She was condemned for her 1990 Blond Ambition tour which included simulated masturbation and was criticised for her 2006 Confessions tour after she staged a mock crucifixion only a few miles from the Vatican City.
