Madonna draws ire of Catholic League

‘Knock off the Christ-bashing’ says league in response to concert crucifixion

Chris Pizzello / AP

Madonna performs during her concert at the Great Western Forum in Inglewood, Calif. on May 21, 2006. The concert marked the kick-off of the North American leg of her Confessions tour.

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updated 9:53 p.m. ET May 22, 2006

LOS ANGELES - Less than 12 hours after Madonna crucified herself on a mirrored cross, the Catholic League expressed its discontent with the concert stunt.

The controversial diva wore a crown of thorns and sang while hanging from a cross during Sunday night’s opener of her “Confessions” world tour at The Forum in Inglewood.

“Knock off the Christ-bashing,” Catholic League president Bill Donohue said in a statement Monday. “It’s just pathetic.”

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Though Donohue said that Madonna “has been spicing up her act with misappropriated Christian imagery for a long time,” he thought that her faith in Kabbalah might inspire new respect for religion.

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“I guess you really can’t teach an old pop star new tricks,” he said. “Poor Madonna keeps trying to shock. But all she succeeds in doing is coming across as a boring bigot.”

A message left with Madonna’s spokeswoman was not immediately returned.

The “Confessions” tour continues through Sept. 4 with dates throughout North America and Europe.