Elton John accused the Vatican of “hypocrisy” about his decision to ban the blessing of same-sex unions, pointing out that the Holy See allegedly invested indirectly in his biopic Rocketman.
At the a tweet which was widely publicized by the Italian and international press, the singer said the Vatican profited from the investment he described as “millions” in Rocketman, but still refuses to bless gay marriages because “they are sin”.
John, who married David Furnish in 2005, retaliated after the Vatican said on Monday that the Catholic Church cannot bless same-sex unions because God “does not bless sin.” In a decree approved by Pope Francis, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) wrote that such blessings “cannot be considered lawful”.
Reports on the Vatican’s investment in Rocketman, which traces John’s life from his troubled childhood to stardom, drug addiction and his rise, first appeared in 2019 in an investigation by the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera.
According to documents obtained by the newspaper, the Vatican Secretariat of State invested in the Malta-based Centurion Global Fund, which in turn invested € 4 million in a film financing scheme that included Rocketman and a sequel to Men in Black .
The investment, along with others, including one that involved buying property in London’s Sloane Square, became the focus of an investigation ordered by Pope Francis on alleged financial irregularities by Vatican officials.
The investigation is ongoing, but in a letter made public in November, the pontiff asked the Vatican to “withdraw as soon as possible” from its investments in the Centurion Global Fund and its investments in London, or “at least dispose of them in as a way of eliminating all reputational risks ”.
Francisco also transferred the management of financial funds and real estate assets from the Secretary of State to APSA, the Holy See’s treasury and sovereign wealth manager.
A Vatican spokesman did not respond to the Guardian for comment on Tuesday.
The Vatican’s action to refuse the blessing of gay unions has sparked debate in Italy, with a Catholic priest, Alberto Maggi, telling La Repubblica: “We can bless animals and objects, but not two people who love each other.”
The CDF decree said that although “the Christian community and its pastors should welcome people with homosexual inclinations with respect and sensitivity”, their unions cannot be blessed.
According to Catholic teaching, marriage between a man and a woman is part of God’s plan and is aimed at raising children. Since gay unions are not intended to be part of that plan, such relationships cannot be legitimately blessed. The document went on to say that “God does not bless and cannot bless sin”, adding: “He blesses the sinful man, so that he recognizes that he is part of his project of love and allows him to be changed by him”.