Madonna: 'Jesus wouldn't mind' crucifixion stunt

Pop superstar Madonna has hit back at criticisms that the crucifixion stunt on her Confessions tour is disrespectful to Christians.

The singer sparked a religious backlash on the first night of the tour in Los Angeles last Sunday when she mounted a 20-foot-high mirrored crucifix and sang Live to Tell.

The 47-year-old claims the iconic image was only employed to spur audience members to donate to her Aids relief charities.

"I don't think Jesus would be mad at me and the message I'm trying to send," she told the New York Daily News.

"Jesus taught that we should love thy neighbour."

Accompanying the stunt were images of third-world poverty, which were flashed across huge video screens at the venue, and a reminder that 12 million African children are now orphans because Aids has killed their parents.