Elton John Blasts Vatican Over LGBTQ Stance After Investing In Rocketman

After the Catholic Church recently restated its stance against same-sex marriage, singer-songwriter Elton John took to Twitter to call out the "hypocrisy" of the Vatican "happily [making] a profit from investing millions in Rocketman." The musician called the 2019 biographical musical film based on his life a movie in part a celebration of his "happiness from my marriage to David [Furnish, Canadian filmmaker and former advertising executive]."

As indicates, "John's claims about the Vatican's investment in Rocketman were first reported by the Italian daily newspaper Corriere della Sera in December 2019." Reportedly, the Vatican "invested more than 4 million euros, or about $5.1 million, into the production of Rocketman and Men In Black: International… $1.2 million went toward Rocketman."

A spokesperson for Elton John told Newsweek, "[The Vatican's] investment has been widely reported in many credible news outlets including the Financial Times. Aside from that, we are not able to comment any further." According to , The Vatican is currently investigating these investments.

Rocketman won several nominations and awards, including scooping up a 2020 Academy Award for Best Original Song plus Golden Globe Awards for Best Actor in a musical or comedy. Once COVID restrictions lift, John will resume his previously planned farewell tour, which as a result of the pandemic .