Confirmed: Kelly Clarkson to perform "Ave Maria" for Pope

I know, this reads like a spoof headline, but it's legit!

Singer Kelly Clarkson is best known for being the first American Idol winner and then going on to become a "pop superstar". She will sing Ave Maria to Pope Benedict XVI on April 19 at St. Joseph's Seminary in Yonkers, which is a gathering for 20,000 Catholic Youth (primarily of the Archdiocese of New York).

I've read claims that she is Catholic, but that fact almost never gets any mention, so I don't know if she is practicing or not.

It's hard to find a good picture of Kelly because she appears to change her style every couple weeks (this photo at left is from one of her American Idol apperances). I'm sure for her performance with the pope she'll be wearing something a bit more sedate than her normal concert wardrobe.

It's notable that in the artist's rendering (photo) of the stage in Yonkers there are two walkways, although I don't think Ave Maria is exactly a "get the crowd involved" song, now that I think about it.

Oh yeah, an AmP Shout-Out to the person who writes the best re-written Kelly Clarkson lyrics for the event.

Some suggestions:

• "Because of Benedict"
• "Since Heresy Been Gone!"
• "Behind These Papal Eyes" (Rocco)