The Guardian reports: “According to Catholic teaching, marriage between a man and a woman is part of God’s plan and intended for the creation of 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 and cannot bless sin,’ adding: ‘He blesses sinful man, so that he may recognize that he is part of his plan of love and allow him to be changed by him.”

The decree as issued by the CDF was approved by Pope Francis, but going against same-sex marriages stands in contradiction to the Pope’s endorsement of same-sex marriages during an interview for a documentary in 2020. The CDF’s decree inspired a blistering response from Elton John, who slammed the Vatican for refusing to bless same-sex marriages while also investing in his biographical drama “Rocketman.” Related James Corden, Elton John Hosting Specials to Raise Money for Charitable Organizations How Elton John Captured the Uptempo Spirit of ‘Rocketman’ with Oscar Favorite ‘(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again’ Related Oscars 2023: Best International Feature Film Predictions 23 Controversial Film and TV Book Adaptations That Rankled Their Audiences and Authors
“How can the Vatican refuse to bless gay marriages because they ‘are sin,’ yet happily make a profit from investing millions in ‘Rocketman’ — a film which celebrates my finding happiness from my marriage to David?” John asked his followers. As The Daily Beast reported in 2019, the Vatican had “a $4.5 million expenditure recorded in February related to finance for the 2019 films ‘Men in Black: International’ and Elton John’s rather steamy biopic ‘Rocketman,’ which portrays the entertainer’s drug problems and is the first studio movie to portray gay sex between men in an authentic way.” John included The Daily Beast’s report in his tweet. “Rocketman” opened in May 2019 and was a box office hit with $192 million worldwide on a $40 million production budget. John and co-writer Bernie Taupin won the Oscar for Best Original Song thanks to their tune “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again.”

— Elton John (@eltonofficial) March 15, 2021 Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.