Orthodox protesters vow to disrupt Madonna concert in Moscow
Last Updated: Tuesday, September 12, 2006 | 12:32 PM ET
CBC Arts
Pop superstar Madonna is scheduled to perform for the first time in Russia despite protests and threats to disrupt her performance because of the mock crucifixion that ends the concert.
Orthodox protesters have been demonstrating for weeks leading up to her Confessions concert Tuesday night.
"We are standing up to her satanic spirit," said Dmitry Antonov, who says he belongs to the Union of Orthodox Christians. "We will try to disrupt the concert."
Madonna's mock crucifixion scene, as seen here during a concert in Cardiff, Wales in July, has angered religious leaders all over Europe.
Yui Mok/Associated Press
Orthodox priests in Russia have urged the singer to cut the routine out of her performance.
"We are not against Madonna. We are against her blasphemous acts during the concert," Rev. Sergei Zvonoryov said.
"All this is a parody on the crucifixion of Christ."
Protests have followed the Confessions tour. Last Friday, Dutch prosecutors revealed a priest had confessed to making a fake bomb threat to Madonna while trying to stop her concert in Amsterdam.
Religious leaders in Italy and Germany have also objected to her performance.
Madonna needs spiritual help: Russian Orthodox official
"I think a deeply believing person would never go to the concert," declared Rev. Vsevolod Chaplin, spokesman for the Russian Orthodox Church.
Chaplin says the 48-year-old singer, who grew up Catholic, is "in need of spiritual help."
For her part, Madonna has said that she doesn't think Jesus would be angry at her.
Her Moscow concert has had problems of its own. The original date, Sept. 11, was cancelled after the Russian Orthodox Church demanded the singer push it back out of respect for the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in the U.S. As well, it coincided with the Feast of St. John the Baptist.
Then, the original venue had to be switched because the location was near two churches and police said they could not ensure security.
More than 50,000 fans are expected at Tuesday night's concert at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, the main venue of the 1980 Summer Olympics. They will be greeted by 7,000 police in riot gear, and face metal detectors and bag searches.
The pop star slipped quietly into the Russian capital Monday night, arriving in a small airfield outside the city.
Her tour began May 21 in Los Angeles and wraps up with two concerts in Osaka and Tokyo, Japan, next week.
