Fresh from battling John McCain via the video screens on her Sticky & Sweet tour, Madonna has courted further controversy by dedicating a song to the Pope. Madonna showed up in Rome at the weekend, where she played a show at the 60,000 capacity Stadio Olimpico, and sought to anger the Vatican by giving a shout out to Pope Benedict XVI.

“I dedicate this song to the Pope,” she said. “Because I’m a child of God. All of you are also children of God.” The song she was introducing was, of course, “Like a Virgin.” Madonna has a long history of antagonizing the Catholic Church while in Rome, although the mock crucifixion she staged at a concert in 2006 clearly hasn't prevented fans from attending her shows. This latest button-pushing incident has been called a “provocation” by the biggest newspaper in the country, Corriere della Sera. [MTV]