Russian Church urges Madonna to tone down her act

MOSCOW, Sep 13 (Reuters) Russia's Orthodox Church made a last-minute plea to American pop star Madonna to drop symbols of the crucifixion from her stage show when she performs in Moscow for the first time.

The 48-year-old pop star has outraged Christian groups across Europe by staging a mock crucifixion and wearing a crown of thorns on her global ''Confessions'' tour.

As the controversial star prepared to perform before an estimated crowd of 50,000 at Moscow's Luzhniki stadium Tuesday, an Orthodox Church spokesman called on her to tone down her act.

''We are not against Madonna. We're against her blasphemous acts during the concert,'' Father Sergei Zvonoryov, a member of the Moscow patriarchy press department, said.

''Crucifixion, cross, diadem of thorns on her head. All this is a parody on the crucifixion of Christ. She must respect the view of the country and society, where she is going to perform,'' he said.

Other radical Orthodox groups threatened to stage protests outside the stadium.

''We can't get the show banned but we can ask people to pray and protest against her presence here,'' said a spokesman for two such groups, the Union of Orthodox Banner-Bearers and the Union of Orthodox Brotherhoods.

''She wants to hurt our religious feelings,'' he said.

Russians lap up visits by Western pop stars who have made sporadic trips since the 1991 fall of communism and, despite the strong church reaction, the event has been an instant sell-out.

Wooden ''matryoshka'' dolls with Madonna's face have been on sale for weeks off Moscow's Red Square and she has featured heavily in newspapers before her first concert in Russia.

Hundreds of fans kept vigil to welcome her when she flew in to one of Moscow's VIP airports by private jet on Monday night and then was whisked by convoy to a city centre hotel, a short walk from the Kremlin.

Madonna, a lapsed Roman Catholic whose shows have been denounced by the Vatican, has attracted accusations of blasphemy throughout her career.

In the finale of her ''Confessions'' show, she sings while suspended from a cross.

Reuters pdm mir kp0959