Elton John has slammed the Catholic Church for "hypocrisy" after the Vatican said on Monday that Catholic clergy cannot not bless same-sex unions.
The music legend and prominent figure in the LGBTQ community posted screenshots of a pair of articles on Instagram Monday, one from The Guardian announcing the Vatican's stance on blessing same-sex unions and the other from The Daily Beast reporting that the Vatican spent millions in funding John's 2019 biopic, "Rocketman."
"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?? #hypocrisy," he wrote.
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According to the 2019 story by The Daily Beast, the Vatican reportedly spent $4.5 million to finance the 2019 films "Men in Black: International" and "Rocketman," the latter of which references John's love story with husband David Furnish. The Vatican told The Daily Beast at the time that "investigations are in progress" about the funding.
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The Vatican decreed on Monday that the Catholic Church cannot bless same-sex unions because God "cannot bless sin." The decree came as a response to a question about whether Catholic clergy could bless gay unions, and the answer, approved by Pope Francis, was "negative."
The church leadership maintains that gay people must be treated respectfully, but that gay sex is "intrinsically disordered" and marriage is intended for the sake of creating new life.
God “does not and cannot bless sin: He blesses sinful man, so that he may recognize that he is part of his plan of love and allow himself to be changed by him,” the Vatican's response said.
The Vatican's position on the blessing of same-sex unions drew strong criticism from many LGBTQ celebrities and supporters. Several of them referenced the Catholic Church's sexual abuse scandal, during which thousands of priests have been accused of child abuse over the course of decades.
The U.S. Catholic Church has spent millions of dollars over the years on lobbyists to prevent victims of clerical sexual abuse from suing for damages.
"Heartbreaking for Catholics but maybe also: let’s normalize disregarding morality decisions issued by institutions who harm children and protect and pay their abusers in the name of God," bestselling author Glennon Doyle tweeted.
"On a serious note, to everyone who goes out of their way to talk about how 'cool' this pope is...NO," comedian Billy Eichner tweeted. "The Catholic Church has abused the LGBTQ community for MILLENIA. So, go to church if you need to I guess but THAT’s what you’re enabling. Bye!"
"This is shameful, dangerous, and embarrassing (for them). Not to mention t h e h y p o c r i s y . . ." actor Dan Levy from "Schitt's Creek" tweeted.
"As a graduate of a catholic high school, I am deeply saddened by this archaic rhetoric and not at all surprised," Jesse Tyler Ferguson of "Modern Family" tweeted alongside a picture of his husband. "The good news? I’m still happily married & I don’t need the Pope to acknowledge the love that exists in my family."
"I’m all for journeys, but not ones that tell people I love that their marriage cannot be blessed," TODAY contributor Maria Shriver tweeted. "What’s up with that? Jesus Christ was about welcoming and loving everyone. Isn’t that what we are taught as Catholics? I’m struggling with this. Very disappointed."