The Catholic News Agency shared a post quoting the American-born pontiff, who told Crux senior correspondent Elise Ann Allen: “I don’t see my primary role as trying to be the solver of the world’s problems. I think the Church has a voice and a message that must be spoken loudly, but my priority is the Gospel.”
Madonna responded directly beneath the post, writing that the whole purpose of teaching the Gospel is to inspire love and make the world better through action, just as Jesus did. She showed disappointment in the Pope’s statement. Her comment quickly drew more than 1,400 likes and hundreds of supportive replies from fans, but also backlash from others who argued that preaching the Gospel itself is the way to change the world.
This isn’t the first time the singer has publicly engaged with Pope Leo. In August, she urged him to visit Gaza and “bring his light to the children before it’s too late.”
Raised Catholic and still drawn to its imagery, Madonna has long mixed faith with controversy. From her 1989 hit Like a Prayer—which Pope John Paul II urged Catholics to boycott, to her 2006 mock crucifixion on stage, she has frequently challenged Church norms while maintaining a cultural and spiritual connection.
