Madonna's New Controversy: Polish Exorcists Take On Her Music

Madonna's music is going under the scrutiny of Polish priests trained in the art of exorcism. The pop star will be on the agenda of a secretive five-day meeting of exorcists at the Jasna Góra monastery — Poland's holiest site — where around 300 priests and lay specialists will examine her songs for "hidden subliminal messages," the Telegraph reported in July 2013.

"The woman who dares to call herself Madonna"

Father Andrzej Grefkowicz, an exorcist and one of the conference organizers, told the Telegraph: "Part of the conference is dedicated to the hidden subliminal message in communication, and the choice of this subject was inspired by the woman who dares to call herself Madonna." He added, "We've been worried about her concerts." A section of the meeting is dedicated to finding evil in popular culture.

A long history in Poland

The exorcist meeting is only the latest episode. A Catholic youth group called Krucjata Młodych (Youth Crusade) ran an online campaign to boycott her August 2012 Warsaw concert, accusing her of promoting sexual deviation and disrespecting the Church. Her Polish debut concert years earlier — staged on August 15, the Feast of the Assumption — drew similar protests from conservative groups.

The Malawi dust-up

Earlier in 2013, Madonna clashed with the Malawi government. She has adopted two children from Malawi and funds schools there, and was angered when she was denied VIP treatment at the airport and made to go through ordinary security.

Malawi's State House fired back with a blistering 11-point statement: Madonna wanted Malawi "to be forever chained to the obligation of gratitude," it said, adding that "kindness, as far as its ordinary meaning is concerned, is free and anonymous. If it can't be free and silent, it is not kindness; it is something else. Blackmail is the closest it becomes." Madonna dismissed the statement as "lies." (The BBC later reported that President Joyce Banda had not approved the statement and was "furious" about its tone.)

Decades of riling the Church

It all goes back to 1989, when the Vatican condemned her "Like a Prayer" video, and 1990, when Pope John Paul II urged Catholics in Italy to boycott her Blond Ambition concerts. Egypt, Russia, France, Poland — few stars have annoyed so many at once.

And the controversial queen's own verdict on it all? "I've been popular and unpopular, successful and unsuccessful, loved and loathed, and I know how meaningless it all is. Therefore I feel free to take whatever risks I want."