A Pope Once Had A Strong Reaction To A Classic Madonna Video

Publish date: 2024-04-21

The public's reaction to the video was intense, particularly from various religious communities. Pope John Paul II (shown above in 1996) called for Italians to boycott it, per Independent, which quotes Catholic historian Roberto de Mattai saying at the time, "The video is a blasphemy and insult because it shows immorals inside a church." According to The Guardian, the pope went on to call Madonna's Blonde Ambition tour "one of the most satanic shows in the history of humanity." He wasn't alone; Madonna was threatened with arrest in Canada if she performed a portion of the show in which she simulated masturbation. (The arrest never came to pass.)

The video's controversy was further highlighted by its relationship with the Pepsi-Cola Company. In a deal that was unprecedented at the time, the song "Like A Prayer" premiered on television as part of a Pepsi commercial on March 2, 1989 in over 40 countries, as reported by the Associated Press. The commercial, which had nothing to do with the video, was called "Make A Wish" and featured Madonna switching places with an 8-year-old version of herself while watching home videos of her childhood birthday party. It ran only twice in the United States, once during the multinational premiere and again during late-night programming on March 3. After the "Like A Prayer" video premiered, the American Family Association called for a yearlong boycott of Pepsi products. Catholic Bishop Rene Gracida of Corpus Christie called the video "sacrilegious" in an article in South Texas Catholic magazine and also called for a Pepsi boycott.

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