Madonna sparked controversy for sharing an AI photo with Pope Francis

Madonna was criticized for sharing a photo of herself and AI Pope Francis.

On Friday, December 13, Madonna, 66, shared a photo of the 87-year-old Pope embracing the pop icon on her Instagram Story. The expired image read: “Nice to be seen.” Madonna also tagged the Instagram account Rick Dickwho made the drawing.

Dick also posted the image on his account with the signature “MAIDONNA AND THE POPE. Thank you @madonna ❤️‍🔥.”

Afterwards, the image caused controversy on the Internet.

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“This is ridiculously disrespectful,” one social media user wrote in the comments section, while others found it “so weird” and “so creepy.”

Neither Madonna, Dick, nor the Vatican publicly spoke out against the backlash; Us Weekly reached out for comment. The AI ​​artist, however, shared screenshots of the media coverage of the controversy via an Instagram Story on Saturday, December 14.

Madonna’s name, songs eg “Like a Prayer” and her tours have previously been criticized by Catholic figures for allegedly incorporating religious allegories. Its 1990 Blonde ambition Dad even boycotted the tour at that time, Pope John Paul II.

“I was brought up with a Catholic education. During the press conference while I was busy promoting In bed with Madonna“I was shocked to see that the Church attacked me because they couldn’t understand how much my work was trying to create something good,” Madonna said. Vanity Fair Italia in 2023. “I immediately understood that the problem was with them, not with me. The problem was with them, because they did not understand that my work as an artist unites people, gives them freedom of expression, unity. It was a mirror of Jesus’ teaching. Whoever attacked me was just a hypocrite.’

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Madonna now defines herself as spiritual.

“I think it’s important to have a pattern of rituals and spiritual life. But I also think that a religion without understanding, without knowledge, without curiosity and inclusiveness cannot be considered a religion,” she told the publication. “Religion is not about belonging to an exclusive or extremist group. Religion is about respecting other religions. Religion encourages people to understand what they believe and to study what they believe instead of following a dogma which without study and without understanding would be empty and barren.’

Madonna added: “My relationship with religion today? Cultivating my spiritual practices. Practices that work for me may not necessarily work for everyone. I think everyone should do it because I think it’s important to pray and have a connection with the soul, with the spiritual force, call it what you want. I think it’s important because I believe in the idea of ​​something bigger, something higher, something metaphysical that is outside of us but that holds us all together.”