Elton: Jesus for gay marriage
Sir Elton John believes Jesus would have been a supporter of same-sex marriage.
The 67-year-old, 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".
"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," John told Sky News.
"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 singer - who raises children Zachary, 3, and Elijah, 20 months, with Furnish - believes the Christian church deserves praise for making progress over the past few years but thinks there's still a way to go until the religion is more accepting of gay rights.
John is also planning to meet Russian president Vladimir Putin during his next visit to the country in November. He previously said Russia had legitimised "vicious homophobia".
"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," John said.
