Madonna has stirred up debate after sharing an AI-produced image of herself with the Pope.
The pop icon is no stranger to controversy, especially with the church, ever since she released her 1989 hit ‘Like a Prayer’.
Now, the 66-year-old has taken things further by posting an AI-created picture showing Pope Francis seemingly embracing her.
She uploaded the doctored image to her Instagram Story, accompanied by the caption “feels good to be seen”.
However, the online reaction has been mixed, with some labeling the act as “creepy” and “disrespectful”.
She acknowledged Rick Dick as the creator of the image in her post.
One online user commented, “This is ridiculously disrespectful.”
Another added, “So weird and creepy.”
A third remarked, “This is unethical and not good at all.”
Nonetheless, many fans were quick to defend her actions.
One admirer noted: “What ‘fans’ are actually angry? We love her wicked sense of humor. She simply reposted photos that were going around for days.”
Someone else commented that she was “so real” for sharing the image.
Madonna has yet to respond to the criticism.
In a 2023 interview with Vanity Fair, she discussed her religious background.
“I was raised with a Catholic education,” shared the ‘Material Girl’ singer.
Recalling a past experience, she said, “During the press conference, while I was busy promoting In Bed with Madonna, I was shocked to see myself attacked by the Church because it was unable to understand how much my work was trying to produce something good. I immediately realized that the problem was them, not me.”
She continued, “The problem was them because they had not understood that my work as an artist united people, gave them freedom of expression, unity. It was the mirror of Jesus’ teachings. Whoever attacked me was just a hypocrite.”
Today, Madonna describes herself as ‘spiritual’.
“I think it is important to have a pattern of rituals and a spiritual life,” she said. “But I also think that religion without understanding, without knowledge, without curiosity and inclusiveness cannot be considered religion.”
Elaborating on her beliefs, she added, “My relationship with religion today? Cultivating my spiritual practices. Practices that are valid for me and do not necessarily have to be valid for everyone. I think everyone should do it because I find it important to pray and have a connection with the soul, with spiritual strength, call it what you want. I think it is important because I believe in the idea of something bigger, something higher, something metaphysical that is beyond us but that keeps us all together.”