Popular musician, Elton John, has called Pope Francis his '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.'
Speaking on the sidelines of the event, John urged gay people not to view AIDS as a problem that had gone away.
'It's important that gay people step up to the plate, acknowledge that, and wise up a little bit,' he told CBS News reporter Ken Lombardi at the gala.
'I want the gay population to realize that sacrifices were made before the medicines were available,' he said. 'They're not used to, the current generation of HIV people, seeing them die and keel over, and I did. And I don't want those people to be forgotten.'
John also honoured New York Governor Andrew Cuomo for his plan to end the AIDS epidemic in his state by 2020.
'Good evening to all of you, the queen of England,' Mr Cuomo said as the crowd laughed, 'I'm from Queens, but I think there's a different interpretation there.'More jokes came throughout the night, where attendees included John's husband, David Furnish, Neil Patrick Harris, Alec Baldwin, Matt Lauer and host Anderson Cooper.
A lunch date with newsmen was part of the auction, dubbed the 'great anchor sandwich,' and it sold for $40,000.
'I will give a little extra with dessert if you know what I mean,' Mr Cooper said at the top of the event. 'It could be a long, saucy lunch.'
Mike Myers jumped onstage to offer himself for a lunch date following the bid for Cooper and Lauer, and his was auctioned for $50,000. A Damien Hirst painting sold for $270,000 and a Robert Mapplethorpe sold for $90,000.
John, who sat while the honorees gave speeches, said he was recovering from a knee operation that took place last week.
He performed a rousing set at the end of the night, singing hits like 'Tiny Dancer' and 'Your Song' while playing the piano.
Four tickets and backstage access to his New Year's Eve concert at the Barclays Center sold for $35,000.
Culled from DAILY MAIL
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