Elton John took hold of the Vatican and Pope Francis today after the Catholic Church announced it would not bless same-sex marriages because God “cannot bless sin.”

The musician wasted no time in pointing out the “hypocrisy” of the Church’s decision. In a Monday tweet, John pointed out that the Vatican has invested millions of dollars in his biographical film “Rocketman” – a dramatized account of John’s rise to stardom and eventual marriage to her husband David Furnish – allowing the Vatican to win money. money with an LGBTQ story.

“How can the Vatican refuse to bless same-sex marriages because they are ‘sins’, while happily making a profit by investing millions in ‘Rocketman’ – a film that celebrates the happiness I have found grace at my wedding to David ?? #hypocrisy, ”John tweeted.

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John’s tweet included a screenshot of a Daily Beast 2019 article that reported on Vatican finances. The outlet found that the Vatican donated $ 4.5 million to fund two films in 2019 – “Rocketman” and “Men in Black: International” by Will Smith. As the author of the article, Barbie Latza Nadeau, noted: “While investing in mainstream entertainment is not a sin, the great contradiction is that the Catholic Church preaches to devotees that homosexuality is a sin. ”

“Rocketman,” which stars Taron Egerton as John, won two Golden Globes and an Oscar and was nominated for a GLAAD Media Award in 2020. He was lauded not only for his vivid storytelling, but also because that it was considered the first major studio film. to authentically portray gay sex on screen – which makes the Vatican’s decision to fund the Dexter Fletcher-directed film all the more puzzling.

The Vatican analyzed the semantics in its statement, claiming that the Catholic Church will always “welcome and bless” homosexuals, but not their legal unions. He further argued that same-sex marriages are “not part of God’s plan” and that to recognize them in any way that could be mistaken for marriage would be a sin.

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GLAAD CEO Sarah Kate Ellis also rang on Twitter Monday to share his thoughts on the Vatican statement.

“False allegations that LGBTQ people and their relationships are ‘objectively disordered’ invite harming LGBTQ people who continue to live in fear of harassment, discrimination and violence,” Ellis said. “It is high time that a soul-searching at the Vatican recognizes the harm that statements like these do, especially to the many faithful Catholics and LGBTQ allies who deserve the love and acceptance of their religious leaders.

See John and Ellis’ tweets below.

How can the Vatican refuse to bless same-sex marriages because they “are a sin” while making a profit by investing millions in “Rocketman” – a film that celebrates my happiness in finding my marriage to David? #hypocrisy@VaticanNews @Pontifex pic.twitter.com/sURtrWB6Nd

– Elton John (@eltonofficial) March 15, 2021

It is far more than time for a soul-searching at the Vatican to recognize the harm that statements like these cause, especially to the many faithful Catholics and LGBTQ allies who deserve the love and acceptance of their religious leaders.

– Sarah Kate Ellis (@sarahkateellis) March 15, 2021