Poland: Catholic groups to protest over Madonna concert
Madonna's first-ever show in Poland is arousing concern among Catholic groups, in particular because it is booked to take place in Warsaw on the Feast of the Assumption of Our Lady, the Krakow Post reports.
Three years ago, the star sparked controversy in Poland when she was portrayed on the cover of the Polish magazine Machina, dressed as Our Lady of Częstochowa, one of the patron saints of Poland. The monks of the Jasna Góra monastery published a statement protesting about the picture.
A local government representative, Marian Brudzynski, announced that a protest committee is being organized to stop the concert. He said: "Madonna cannot sing on this holy day and we are calling for a moral stand in Warsaw." He said if they fail to stop the concert altogether, they will stage a massive picket outside the theatre.
Madonna's 'Sticky & Sweet' tour is the star's eighth concert tour and, like many of her earlier shows, has received considerable criticism for its "blasphemous" imagery. Last year, in Rome the 50-year-old dedicated her hit song 'Like a Prayer' to the Pope, saying: "I dedicate this song to the Pope, because I'm a child of God."
Krzysztof Zagozda from the Polish Catholic group Unum Principum said the concert date was offensive and that Madonna's performances were anti-Christian.
Russian religious groups have appealed for Madonna to show respect to the Church when she performs there later in August.
Source: ICN/Krakow Post