Pope invites “godmother of punk” to play Vatican Christmas concert

According to NME, Patti Smith, the “godmother of punk,” has been invited to play at this year’s Vatican Christmas concert in Rome.

Smith was one of 18 acts invited by Pope Francis to perform at Rome's Conciliation Auditorium Dec. 13. The concert will air on live TV.

The singer/songwriter, influential in New York City’s 1970s punk scene, is known for the lyric “Jesus died for somebody's sins, but not mine” in her Horses song, “Gloria.” Naturally, this has some Christian groups upset: Catholic association Portosalvo asked the Archbishop Of Naples to ban the singer, calling the situation “Blasphemous.”

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