Los Angeles - Sinéad O'Connor claims to have been asked to perform at the American Music Awards (AMAs) with the Pope.
The 47-year-old singer was reportedly set to perform her 1990 single Nothing Compares 2 U and new track Take Me To Church at the awards on 24 November, but insists she has pulled out of the show after hearing producers had attempted to wrangle an introduction from Pope Francis.
Writing on her website last week, she wrote: "I never heard anything so warped and disrespectful to both the Pope and myself, as well as millions of Catholics (As well as my fans, with whom I have some fucking street cred, thanks, and integrity) in my life. (sic)"
The troubled musician has had several scrapes with the Catholic Church throughout her extensive career, most notably an incident on Saturday Night Live in 1992 when she tore up a photo of Pope John Paul II.
