Madonna sparks sheer fury with AI generated image of herself and 'handsy' Pope Francis

Music legend Madonna created a divided reaction from her fans when she shared AI generated images showing herself up close a reasonably personal with the current Pope

Madonna has sparked a furious backlash after using AI to create images of herself looking intimately close to The Pope.

The 66-year-old Queen of Pop is no stranger to causing controversy for mixing religious references into her work. However, a couple of social media posts have prompted some fans of the star to question what she was thinking as they feel she has mocked the current head of the Catholic Church; Pope Francis, 87 - who has served in the role since 2013.

Taking to Instagram Stories on Friday night, the Material Girl shared AI generated images of herself with the Pope. One image showed Madge wearing a provocative black lace corset while the Pope tightly held his hand around her waist. She captioned the image, writing: "Feels good to be seen..."

And a second image showed her wearing a different black lace top and showed her pressing against the pontiff while he leaned in close to her face and put his hands around her. This image carried the caption: "Going into the weekend like..."

But the images caused something of a backlash for the star - with many taking to social media to slam her imagers as "disrespectful" and to question what she was thinking in sharing the images. One wrote on X: "THIS IS ANTI- RELIGION. ITS a shame to #madonna Pls respect our pope." While another wrote: "This is ridiculously disrespectful."

Another criticised the AI program for being able to create such an image, writing: "Using AI to depict Madonna with the Pope raises questions about ethics and respect in digital art." And another complained: "This is just weird as hell… she’s lost it."

Some other fans felt Madonna was going to extreme lengths to generate a buzz, with one writing: "Clearly somebody needs attention again...." While another typed: "she’s going to ai herself with more ppl to stay relevant."

Madonna has sparked outraged many times over the past with her use of Christian imagery and her eyebrow raising antics. Her 1990 Blonde Ambition tour drew condemnation from then-Pope John Paul II who urged music fans to boycott the show due to its use of Catholic imagery and sexual content.

The star defended her use of cricifixes in another tour in 2006. She told New York Daily News at the time: "I don't think Jesus would be mad at me and the message I'm trying to send." And she added: "Jesus taught that we should love thy neighbour."

Earlier this year, Madonna posed for a string of real images on her main Instagram feed where she snapped herself, her children and father and shared a touching message about family following the death of her brother Christopher Ciccone, who died in October and after her stepmother, Joan Ciccone, died the month prior. She wrote: "We are born into families and we create our own.

"As time goes by I am more and more appreciative of these microcosms of life that Dance around me and teach me lessons every day. My Family has experienced many losses this year. My father has endured with Dignity. Watching him cry in the cemetery when we buried my brother Christopher -right after he lost his wife. Was a moment I will never forget. Spending time with him and all my children on Thanksgiving was Medicine for the Soul."

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