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Loading ...Madonna has birthday in Poland amid protests
08.17.2009 4:00pm EDT
(Warsaw, Poland) Polish fans joined together in song to wish Madonna a happy birthday at a concert in Warsaw Saturday evening – just hours before she turned 51.
In a break between two songs, a fan held up a sign wishing her a happy birthday and audience members sang, “may you live a hundred years,” a traditional Polish birthday song.“I feel your love!” Madonna told the crowd of tens of thousands gathered on a large green field for the latest stop in her Sticky & Sweet tour.
Many of the fans near the stage also held up paper hearts. One said: “Adopt Me.”
Her stop in Warsaw fell not only a day before her birthday, but also on the August 15, the Roman Catholic holiday celebrating the heavenly assumption of the Virgin Mary – timing that angered some Catholics.
Several people who objected to Madonna held up banners outside the concert venue, and a Catholic group tried to spearhead protests in past weeks hoping to force the Material Girl to change the date of the concert. It failed, however, to win support from the official church or the public. Though Poland, homeland of the late John Paul II, is mainly Catholic, young urban Poles have overwhelmingly embraced pop culture and mores.
During the concert, Madonna also paid tribute to Michael Jackson, who died in June.
A Jackson impersonator did the King of Pop’s signature moonwalk dance move while wearing a sequined jacket, white T-shirt, white glove and white socks, while a large photograph of him as a boy appeared on stage.
“Let’s give it up for one of the greatest artists the world has ever known,” Madonna shouted, and then segued into a performance of her old hit “Holiday.”
“Though Poland, homeland of the late John Paul II, is mainly Catholic, young urban Poles have overwhelmingly embraced pop culture and mores.”
Cheers for the young people. Ultimately the church will have to reform, or end up preaching to the dust in the pews and the dust of the old fuddy duddies and their backwards looking pope.
There are three groups in the church. The laity, of which the younger are mostly quite progressive, eg 50% of catholics under 30 support gay marriage.
The priests – a lot of good people who live under threat of losing their lifes worrk if they don’t kiss the ass of the other group…
The hierarchy – the church is against cloning, yet it has managed to clone people from the middle ages.
Interesting that this Catholic group failed to win support from the official Catholic church of Poland. Maybe the official church figured it had better things to do than to press for a rescheduling of a popular international pop icon like Madonna.
A church with a lighter hand will outlive a church with a heavy hand. A heavy handed and demanding church may only serve to further alienate the young Poles etc of this day who want an urban pop culture.
Ok the “dedication” is alot more offensive then the date of her concert.
Cathlics gotta find things to object to so people stop talking about the “wayward” priest’s & the churchs coroperation in continunce of the crimanal behavior!!!
You’re so right. It’s against the sectarian organization she’s part of they should fight really.
Not that I care much about Madonna. But they’re protesting her because the timing of her birthday is *inconvenient*?