On the same weekend that cities across the U.S. celebrated gay pride with parades, Sir Elton John said that Jesus Christ would have supported gay marriage. In addition, he called Pope Francis “wonderful” in the same interview that he called some rules of Christianity “old and stupid things.”
The “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” singer had nothing but great things to say about the new pope during an interview on Sky News’ Murnaghan program. “He's excited me so much by his humanity and taking everything down to the humility of faith...it's all basically about love and taking everybody in inclusiveness,” John said, reports the AFP.
Still, John isn’t pleased with some Christian traditions that survive today. He considers requiring priests to be celibate and barring gay clergy from marrying as “old and stupid things,” notes The Guardian.
"If Jesus Christ was alive today, I cannot see him, as the Christian person that he was and the great person that he was, saying this could not happen,” the singer said. “He was all about love and compassion and forgiveness and trying to bring people together and that is what the church should be about.”
John has been an outspoken supporter of gay rights. In fact, when he visits Russia this year, he plans on speaking with President Vladimir Putin on the issue.
“I may not achieve anything but I have to try. There are so many people out there living a life of hell,” John told Sky News. “As long as I'm alive I will fight for people's rights.”
John also said in the interview that he plans on marrying his longtime partner David Furnish in a private ceremony. They share two children.
image courtesy of INFevents.com