The 67-year-old singer Sir Elton John, who is planning to marry his civil partner David Furnish next year, claims the Christian figure would have approved of gay members of the clergy if he was alive today because he was ‘all about love.’
Speaking in an interview with Sky News, he said: ‘If Jesus Christ was alive today, I cannot see him, as the Christian person that he was and the great person that he was, saying this could not happen.’
‘He was all about love and compassion and forgiveness and trying to bring people together and that’s what the church should be about.’
The ‘Your song‘ hitmaker – who raises children Zachary, three, and Elijah, 20 months, with David – believes the church deserves praise for making progress over the last few years, but thinks there’s still a way to go until the religious beliefs are more accepting of gay rights.
He said: ‘As long as I’m alive I will fight for people’s rights.’
Sir Elton is also planning to meet with Russian president Vladimir Putin during his next visit to the country, where he previously said ‘vicious homophobia has been legitimised’, later this year.
He said: ‘I’m going to Russia in November, and I will try and meet Putin and I will try to talk to him. I don’t know what good it will do. But unless you build a bridge – it’s no good putting up a wall and saying I’m not talking to these people. The only thing that gets solved is by talking to people.’