Catholic League Upset over Nicki Minaj Grammy Show

(NewsCore) - The Catholic League on Monday slammed the organizers of the Grammy Awards for allowing Nicki Minaj's act, in which she portrayed an exorcism laden with religious iconography and sexual imagery.

The R&B singer failed to take home any awards at Sunday's show but sparked plenty of controversy with her antics -- starting with her appearance on the red carpet in a red hooded robe, on the arm of an elderly man dressed as the pope.

During the ceremony, with a stained-glass background resembling a cathedral, the 29-year-old took to the stage to belt out her single "Roman Holiday," featuring a cast of back-up dancers dressed as altar boys and Catholic monks.

The over-the-top performance, reminiscent of previous stunts by Madonna and Lady Gaga, ended with a rendition of "O Come All Ye Faithful," while Minaj -- in character as her raging alter ego, Roman Zolanski -- was lifted upwards and flames burned beneath her.

"None of this was by accident, and all of it was approved by The Recording Academy, which puts on the Grammys," Catholic League president Bill Donohue said in a statement, calling the performance "vulgar."

"Whether Minaj is possessed is surely an open question, but what is not in doubt is the irresponsibility of The Recording Academy. Never would they allow an artist to insult Judaism or Islam," he continued.

"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," he added, referencing President Barack Obama's recent contraception insurance proposal that caused an uproar in the Catholic community.

While The Recording Academy has not denounced Minaj's performance, Grammys executive producer Ken Ehrlich appeared to distance himself and his organization from the act in an interview with Gayle King on "CBS This Morning," the New York Post reported.

"One thing that is always very important to us is that we don't like to restrict artists' creative freedom. She came to us with that idea. Often the ideas are ours, but sometimes they're the acts we work with," said Ehrlich.

When asked what he thought while reviewing Minaj's concept, Ehrlich said, "I didn't say 'great.' I looked at it and said 'OK.' I knew about her alter ego and was kind of aware of what that was. I definitely had some questions about that one."

Minaj's controversial act became an instant trending topic on Twitter and could even have cost her a few fans, FOX News reported, adding that the mood backstage at the awards as the mocking performance dragged on was a mixture of confusion, embarrassment and offense.

"This nicki minaj performance makes me want to fill my ears with cement then super glue my eyelids together and punch myself in the face," tweeted one viewer, while another said, "religion shouldn't be disrespected like that."

Several others expressed disgust that her performance went down during Black History Month, while others simply tweeted that "she SUCKED."

In fact, there was barely a positive tweet following Minaj's moment in the spotlight. The critics were not buying into it either.

"All of Minaj's sacrilegious button-pushing is bound to annoy the Christian Right, the moral majority and make a few fleeting headlines," The Hollywood Reporter said, while E! online referred to her as the "Worst Spectacle" with a "kinda silly" and "way too long" performance.

Entertainment Weekly called it "a mess featuring a whole lot of religious imagery, a smattering of pyro and no real messages to be found."