Elton John Brands Pope Francis ‘My Hero’ For Push To Accept Gays In Catholic Churches

Legendary singer, Elton John called Pope Francis 'my hero' at an AIDS benefit for his compassion and push to accept gays in the Catholic church. The Rocket Man singer hosted the event, An Enduring Vision: A Benefit for the Elton John AIDS Foundation, on Tuesday night in New York City. He said Francis is pushing boundaries in the church and told the crowd: 'Make this man a saint already, OK?'

'Ten years ago one of the biggest obstacles in the fight against AIDS was the Catholic Church. Today we have a pope that speaks out about it,' said John, earning cheers from the attendees at Cipriani's on Wall Street.
Catholic bishops scrapped a landmark welcome to gays earlier this month, showing deep divisions at the end of a two-week meeting sought by Francis to create a more merciful interpretation of Catholic dogma.
But Francis himself, while insisting that homosexual acts are sinful, last year signalled a more tolerant era of Vatican thinking after he spoke out in defence of homosexuals. In remarks at odds with traditional rhetoric, the Pontiff refused to condemn homosexuality, saying: ‘If a person is gay and seeks God and has goodwill, who am I to judge him?’

Efforts to codify the new compassionate approach to homosexuality stumbled at the Vatican synod this month, after bishops rejected a draft document suggesting that gays should be welcomed. But Francis's efforts have not gone unnoticed. 'He is a compassionate, loving man who wants everybody to be included in the love of God,' John said of the pope. 'It is formidable what he is trying to do against many, many people in the church that opposes. He is courageous and he is fearless, and that's what we need in the world today.'

Source: DailyMail UK