Elton John spoke out against the Catholic Church's ruling that it cannot bless homosexual unions, noting that the Vatican had profited off of his 2019 biopic Rocketman.
"How can the Vatican refused to bless gay marriages because they 'are sin,' yet happily make a profit from investing millions in Rocketman — a film which celebrates my finding happiness from my marriage to David?" John asked via Twitter.
John's Twitter post included screenshots of a report on the Vatican's recent statement about same-sex marriage and a report on how the Vatican used money donated for the poor to invest in real estate and Hollywood movies, like Rocketman and Men in Black: International.
The Vatican released a statement over the weekend maintaining the Catholic Church's longstanding position that it cannot bless same-sex marriages, since they involve "sexual activity outside of marriage."
While the church conceded that homosexual relationships can have "positive elements" and that the church could grant blessings to individuals with "homosexual inclinations," it said there are "...no grounds for considering homosexual unions to be in any way similar or even remotely analogous to God's plan for marriage and family."
John, who has two young children with his husband David Furnish, announced that he was gay in 1988, after identifying as bisexual for 12 years prior. John and Furnish entered into a civil partnership in 2005 and officially married in 2014 when same-sex marriage became legal in England and Wales.
Rocketman explores John's life and career from the challenges of his childhood to his Rock and Roll Hall of Fame music career and much of the debauchery in between. The film earned over $200 million at the box office and won numerous awards, including Golden Globes and an Academy Award. It is rated R for sexual content, language and drug use.
The Vatican's recent statement was deflating for many, who believed the Catholic Church was wading into more progressive waters in recent years under Pope Francis.
"Homosexual people have a right to be in a family," the Pope said last October. "They're children of God and have a right to a family. Nobody should be thrown out or made miserable over it."
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