Fans cheer Madonna at Rome concert
(AP)
Updated: 2006-08-08 16:00
Madonna on her Confessions Tour in Rome
(08/06/06)
Religious leaders may have snubbed Madonna, but Italian fans cheered the pop
star as she staged a mock crucifixion at her concert in Rome.
A crowd of 70,000 attended Sunday night's performance at Olympic Stadium,
some two miles from the Vatican. The scene of Madonna on a mirrored cross and
wearing a crown of thorns, part of her worldwide "Confessions" tour, had drawn
fire from religious leaders, who condemned it as an act of hostility toward the
Roman Catholic Church.
"She does it to play, not to offend," said Benedetta Mori, a 31-year-old fan
wearing a T-shirt with an image of Madonna on the cross. "If they allowed her to
stage the show here they must also play by her rules."
Madonna's representatives have said the performance on the cross, which has
been included from the outset of the tour in May, is not disrespectful toward
the church.
The 47-year-old singer is known for her theatrical,
action-packed shows. Besides her rendition of "Live to Tell" while on the cross,
her two-hour performance included two dancers with a Star of David and a Muslim
crescent painted on their torsos who embraced and held hands.
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