Elton John Calls Out Vatican for Investing in Rocketman Yet Refusing to Bless Same Sex Unions: ‘Hypocrisy’

Leia IdlibyMar 16th, 2021, 3:54 pm
 
Elton John Zoom AA Meetings

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Elton John condemned the Catholic Church for their refusal to bless same-sex and gender marriages — calling them out for simultaneously profiting off of his biopic Rocketman. 

“The blessing of homosexual unions cannot be considered licit,” said a statement issued by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) and approved by Pope Francis, adding that God “does not and cannot bless sin.”

John took to Twitter following the announcement, pointing to the Vatican’s “hypocrisy,” as they “happily make a profit from investing millions” into Rocketman — the first film from a major studio to include a gay male sex scene.

“How can the Vatican refuse 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 wrote.

The claim was initially made by Italian daily newspaper Corriere della Sera in December 2019, which found that the Vatican contributed roughly $4.5 million to Rocketman and Men in Black: International. The Vatican specifically invested roughly $1.2 million in Rocketman, which had an estimated budget of about $40 million, according to IMDb.

“Their investment has been widely reported in many credible news outlets including the Financial Times,” a spokesperson for John additionally told Newsweek on Monday. “Aside from that, we are not able to comment any further.”

The report also revealed that the investments were tied to Centurion Global Fund in Malta, which received at least two-thirds of its 2019 founding from the Vatican’s Secretariat of State department.

Following John’s outcry, several other celebrities, including Chely Wright, American activist and the first country musician to come out, condemned the Vatican for their statement:

Wright additionally joined CNN’s Brianna Keilar Tuesday to address the controversy:

“This is a case in which I, obviously, believe he’s wrong, but it kind of takes it out of the sphere of, well, the Pope is kind of mum on this, or the Pope kind of approves or kind of welcomes same-sex people into the congregation — this takes it out of that and it makes it explicit that, you know, otherising and marginalizing people like me, it’s not just dangerous for people on a spiritual path or in houses of worship. This is damaging to students in schools, with whom I’ve been lucky to do a lot of work,” said Wright. “This is damaging to employees in workplaces around the globe.”

Watch above, via CNN.

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