Madonna courts controversy in Milan ad

Superstar Madonna is causing controversy in Italy again, after her image was posted on the side of Milan's famous Duomo.

An advertisement from Madonna's latest modelling job, as the face of the autumn/winter range of Swedish fashion firm H&M, appears on the side of the world's largest gothic cathedral.

The Duomo is currently covered in scaffolding for essential repair and restoration work and has begun selling advertising space in a bid to raise funding.

Religious leaders in Italy and the Vatican are no fans of Madonna, who has tested their ire over the past two decades with her Like A Prayer video, in which she kissed a black Jesus, and her latest world tour, which features the singer posing on a crucifix while wearing a crown of thorns.

In defence, the Duomo's Monsignor Luigi Manganini says: "It's just an ad, certainly not a canonisation. When it was accepted, the poster seemed all correct and appropriate for its place, and it still is."

Vittorio Sgarbi, the head of culture for the city's council, adds: "The other parts of the building are full of devils and demons, so an infernal Madonna shouldn't hurt us too badly."