Nicki Minaj's 'Exorcism': Catholic League Blasts Artist's Grammys Performance (VIDEO)

After Nicki Minaj's provocative performance at this year's Grammys, it seemed like only a matter of time before the star found herself in the cross-hairs of the Catholic League.

Minaj showed up on the red carpet with a man dressed like the Pope and, when she took the stage, she levitated, spoke in tongues and acted possessed.

Sure enough, the Catholic League fired out a scathing press release Monday titled "Is Nicki Minaj Possessed?"

"Whether Minaj is possessed is surely an open question, but what is not in doubt is the irresponsibility of The Recording Academy," Catholic League President Bill Donohue said in the release. "Never would they allow an artist to insult Judaism or Islam."

"It's bad enough that Catholics have to fight for their rights vis-a-vis a hostile administration in Washington without also having to fend off attacks in the entertainment industry," Donohue continued. "The net effect, however, will only embolden Catholics, as well as their friends in other faith communities."

Not all Catholic organizations felt the need to specifically address the performance. A spokesperson for the Archdiocese of New York declined to comment on Minaj when contacted by The Huffington Post.

Twitter users' reactions to the performance were, at best, mixed.

One user tweeted, "Stevie Wonder was the luckiest man in the crowd at the nicki minaj performance."

Another wondered, "nicki minaj hypothetical:if islamic imagery were substituted for the catholic imagery. is either tasteful? are stars selectively offensive?"

Leave your take on the controversy in the comments below.

Comments

[silly123]

03:14 PM on 04/10/2012

Everyone is wasting their time on this, just like I wasted my time just reading this. If you ARE SOOOOO into your religions you would realize that regaurdles of how you feel you have NO RIGHT to judge ANYONE.... You are not the creator so who are you to judge anyone.....grow up and get over yourself, move on with your lives......

[MissIndependentLady]

07:05 PM on 03/01/2012

I don't mind people criticizing religion through art as long as it's intelligent and enjoyable. Her performance was nothing near enjoyable. She tries so hard to be weird because that's what makes you popular in the music industry nowadays. I don't get the vibe that she WANTS to be different but she's doing weird things for money and it makes her look like she is trying too hard. I really tried to keep an open mind and appreciate her for who she is but after watching this and listening to her recent single (can't say it on here) I'm officially done with her. I can't tolerate her anymore and look forward to the day when her 15 minutes are up. She is a joke.

[limes on ice]

05:42 AM on 02/18/2012

Please sign & PLEASE share: http://www.change.org/petitions/the-recording-academy-cbs-issue-a-public-apology-to-catholics-and-christians

[Joel Mendez]

02:03 AM on 02/17/2012

"The net effect, however, will only embolden Catholics, as well as their friends in other faith communities." -donohue. so then mr. donohue, why are you b!tcH!ng?

[lady angelica]

09:31 PM on 02/16/2012

All you butthurt religious people can sit down.

She was merely telling the true story of a boy being forced to go through an exorcism because he's gay. You know, church people making insecure boys into troubled depressed men.

Go fix that part of your churches before you call her out for 'attacking' religion.

[lastwarning2earth rev14]

06:43 PM on 02/16/2012

Washington isn't hostile to Catholics.
The jesuits run Washington.

[GRobit625]

05:23 PM on 02/16/2012

The RCC has no room to whine about anything and anyone. They need to completely clean house before they dare speak on someone else's.

[ZenCrusader]

06:52 PM on 02/17/2012

no one is completely clean so no one should speak ?

[GRobit625]

06:18 PM on 02/21/2012

The RCC has no room to...don't make my comment more than what it is,thanks.

[Colonel Muttonfield]

01:53 PM on 02/18/2012

The splendors of night spreads like starlight, like subtle rays amid the broken blackness where true power is concealed from the faces of mere mortals.

[cuivreriver11]

03:06 AM on 02/16/2012

There was absolutely nothing visually or musically relevant or entertaining about Minaj's trashy stage act on Sunday's Grammy Awards.
And no, I'm not Catholic. If ninety-nine percent of the audience has never heard of you, and you have five minutes to introduce your talent to the world,
THAT is what you do with it??? How humiliating for the genuine musicians who spend their lives creating music, who had to sit through garbage like that. If Minaj can carry a tune or play a musical instrument - then do so. Otherwise, keep the Madonna-Gaga
charades to your own backyard.

[Dosadi]

09:43 PM on 02/15/2012

The Catholic league should devote 100% of their attention on stopping the clergy from raping little kids. 

Once they get that solved then they can start bad mouthing celebrities, unless of course they find some GOD business to take care of.

[adam275]

05:04 PM on 02/16/2012

The Catholic Church can never make up for the wrong done but it is working very hard to stop it.

Do you know that there are twice as many child molesting teachers in public schools as there were priests? Are you working for eliminating public schools? Are you 100% perfect that you can ignore your mistakes and criticize others trying to do their best? Your comments suggests your anti-religious bigotry.

[GRobit625]

11:21 AM on 02/17/2012

Not nearly hard enough. They could excommunicate those who committed those atrosities..they could sack the bishops that were involved in covering it up...they refuse to do those things. Sorry, you can't cry "anti-religious bigotry" when they act as if they are above reproach. They aren't.

[Lindsgrace33]

08:53 PM on 02/15/2012

I like the tweet about Stevie Wonder. :)

[leeamm]

06:05 PM on 02/15/2012

she is a fool! that was awful and she lost lots of viewers. another idiot is allowed to selectively attack one religion while everyone in that audience would have walked out if any other religion was so attacked. all i say is "burn nicki burn! your day of judgement will come soon enough"

[GRobit625]

05:22 PM on 02/16/2012

I think those priests,bishops,cardinals, and popes that allowed abuse and other atrocities in the RCC to go unchecked will burn before Nicki will.

[BurtonDesque]

10:05 PM on 02/16/2012

Gee, another punishment fantasy from a believer. Feel that Christian love!

[quovadiszero]

03:48 PM on 02/15/2012

Shofar so good.

[Darren Christman]

02:29 PM on 02/15/2012

For once I'd like to see an artist do something like this with Judaism; the double standard of protecting Judaism and raking Christianity and Islam over the coals is very pathetic and hypocritical. And it proves there is religious bias in the Industry (which is illegal in the USA - hello!).

[hisashota]

05:12 PM on 02/15/2012

yata,yata,yata........whine...whine..whine....its just entertainment ....

[leeamm]

07:13 PM on 02/15/2012

its not just entertainment. it wasnt when madonna did it, it wasnt when lady gaga did it and its not now. its just ignorant and attention seeking garbage. this is why these people are not entertainers, they are exhibitionists. madonna had the nerve to be offended by mia middle finger. this was much worse. give me a real entertainer like adele anytime!

[dubbleplusgood]

10:07 PM on 02/15/2012

Uhhhh maybe those artists you mentioned lived in a culture primary Christian?

[Darren Christman]

03:25 PM on 02/16/2012

and I am sure the jewish producers of the show were more than encouraging due to their anti-Christian/Catholic agenda

[Darren Christman]

02:28 PM on 02/15/2012

What would be the reaction if she dressed as a holocaustVictim and took a dump on a photo of AnnFrank? Funny also?

[BurtonDesque]

10:06 PM on 02/16/2012

See a therapist ASAP. You've got a nasty case of Christian Persecution Syndrome™.

[Darren Christman]

08:39 PM on 02/17/2012

oh BurtonDesque....we dont all have that fancy entertainment money to afford to go see therapists....

[Joel Mendez]

02:07 AM on 02/17/2012

probably not funny. but so what?

[Ramsis]

12:43 PM on 02/15/2012

did'nt see it don't care...as a Catholic I think the organization that complained complains about everything.

[leeamm]

08:50 PM on 02/15/2012

i did see it --enough of it before i turned off the whole thing. as for bill donohue--i am not a fan, but i am Catholic and i know what i like and what offends me without his group telling me what is right and wrong. and this was awful as entertainment and it was awful as an offense against my religion as it would be against anyones religion. i find it curious that ALL the attention seeker entertainers always use the Catholic church as their target. God is big enough to take it but it offends me because it is an offense against all that is holy. as i stated before............burn nicki, madonna and lady gag-burn. soon enough your judgement day will come!

[GRobit625]

02:13 AM on 02/16/2012

The RCC brings this on itself.