Was Madonna Excommunicated by the Catholic Church?

Madonna is once again stirring up controversy with the Catholic church after she posted AI photos of herself and the pope cozied up together on her Instagram Story over the weekend.

She also recently posted a video dedicated to the pope on TikTok that has seemingly since been deleted but was re-uploaded to Facebook as a Reel.

"Early Christmas present for the Pope," the iconic singer says before holding up a photo of herself lighting a cigarette for a nun.

"I just wanna say, Pope Francis, Merry Christmas to you," she adds.

Both posts sparked backlash from fans for being "disrespectful" to the pope.

Others called her posts "weird" and "creepy" and also condemned her use of AI to generate the controversial images.

Of course, this is not the first time Madonna has clashed with the Catholic church.

Was Madonna Actually Excommunicated by the Church?

In 2022, the "Like a Prayer" singer claimed she had been excommunicated from the church three times.

"Hello @Pontifex Francis —I’m a good Catholic. I Swear! I mean I don’t Swear! Its 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 ex communicated 3 times. It doesn’t seem fair. Sincerely Madonna," she tweeted at the time.

However, there is no evidence that she has actually been excommunicated, aside from her own words and other speculation.

Madonna's History of Controversies With the Church

In 1987, Madonna famously dedicated her song about teen pregnancy, "Papa Don't Preach," to Pope John Paul II, which led to the Vatican publicly denouncing her, according to Metro U.K.

Around that time, the pope also criticized Madonna's Who's That Girl Tour in Italy.

But one of Madonna's most famous controversies with the Catholic church involved the release of her "Like a Prayer" music video.

The 1989 music video was called "blasphemous" and condemned by Pope John Paul II.

The Vatican even tried to condemn her Blonde Ambition Tour in Italy following the release of "Like a Prayer."

Watch Madonna's "Like a Prayer" Video:

"I am aware that the Vatican and certain communities are accusing my show of being sinful and blasphemous, that they are trying to keep people from seeing it," Madonna said at the time, per Entertainment Tonight.

"I think I'm offending certain groups, but I think that people who really understand what I’m doing aren't offended by it," she added.

Due to the controversy, Pepsi pulled their ad featuring the song.

"30 years ago today I released Like a Prayer and made a video that caused so much controversy because I kissed a black saint and danced in front of burning crosses! I also made a commercial with PEPSI that was banned because my video was seen as inappropriate. ??? Happy Birthday to Me and Controversy!" the Queen of Pop wrote on Instagram in 2019.

Plus, during a concern in Rome in 2006, the "Like a Virgin" singer staged a mock crucifixion that prompted Cardinal Ersilio Tonino to say she "should be excommunicated," according to the Daily Mail.

Suffice to say, it doesn't look like Madonna has any plans to stop pushing the Catholic church's buttons any time soon.