Madonna fans divided as AI images with Pope Francis labelled ‘funny’ and ‘pathetic’

Madonna posted this AI-generated image of her with Pope Francis on her Instagram account

Pope Francis, seen with a bruise following a recent fall, greets people before boarding the papal plane in Rome bound for Corsica. Photo: Guglielmo Mangiapane/Reuters

thumbnail: Madonna posted this AI-generated image of her with Pope Francis on her Instagram account
thumbnail: Pope Francis, seen with a bruise following a recent fall, greets people before boarding the papal plane in Rome bound for Corsica. Photo: Guglielmo Mangiapane/Reuters
Kaleigh Werner
©UK Independent

Madonna fans are divided over her latest social media post in which she created two racy AI-generated photos of her and Pope Francis.

The first photo, shared on her Instagram story, featured Madonna (66) snuggled next to the head of the Catholic Church in a black lace dress. Pope Francis looked as if he was grabbing her arm with his nose pressed to her cheek.

Her caption read: “Going into the weekend like…”

Though the controversial images were meant to be a joke, some of the singer’s fans weren’t amused

“Feels good to be seen,” she wrote on the next slide alongside the second image of her in a low-cut bustier. In this image, Pope Francis was made to look as if he was talking to Madonna with his arm around her waist.

Though the controversial images were meant to be a joke, some of the singer’s fans weren’t amused. Some believed her posts were “creepy” and “inappropriate”.

“This is creepy as hell,” one person said on X, while another noted: “It’s funny and pathetic at the same time.”

A third said: “Nonsense, sad and a useless use of modern tools. What is the message? What do you want to say?”

Pope Francis, seen with a bruise following a recent fall, greets people before boarding the papal plane in Rome bound for Corsica. Photo: Guglielmo Mangiapane/Reuters

Some of Madonna’s supporters defended her, arguing that the images were typical of her humour.

“What ‘fans’ are actually angry? We love her wicked sense of humour,” one person said on X.

Madonna’s troubled history with the Catholic Church goes back to 1989 when she released the music video for her song Like a Prayer, which sexualised Jesus and featured burning crosses.

In May 2022, the performer reached out to Pope Francis on Twitter

The video was banned by the Vatican shortly after its release. Catholic historian Roberto de Mattei said: “The video is a blasphemy and insult because it shows immorals inside a church.”

Other members of the church were bothered by the video, too, discouraging their congregations and communities from listening to Madonna.

In May 2022, the performer reached out to Pope Francis on Twitter.

She wrote: “Hello@Pontifex Francis – I’m a good Catholic. I Swear! I mean I don’t swear! It’s been a few decades since my last confession.

“Would it be possible to meet up one day to discuss some important matters? I’ve been excommunicated 3 times. It doesn’t seem fair. Sincerely, Madonna.”