Kristin Beck, a former U.S. Navy SEAL, speaks during a same-sex marriage rally to celebrate the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals decision in Salt Lake City, Utah, June 25, 2014.
Kristin Beck, a former U.S. Navy SEAL, speaks during a same-sex marriage rally to celebrate the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals decision in Salt Lake City, Utah, June 25, 2014. The U.S. appeals court ruled on Wednesday that conservative Utah may not ban gay couples from marrying, a decision that capped a day of victories for same-sex nuptials and nudges the issue closer to the U.S. Supreme Court. REUTERS

Sir Elton John has claimed that Jesus would have been a supporter of gay marriage if he was alive today.

Sir Elton John, who plans to marry his civil partner David Furnish next year in a solemn ceremony, said that rules prohibiting gay priests from marrying, and requiring Catholic priests to be celibate are "old and stupid things."

According to Metro, Sir Elton John told Sky News' Dermot Murnaghan, that the government had messed up by hindering gay couples in civil partnerships to wed before December. He added that if Jesus was alive today, then he would support gay marriage. He said Jesus was all about love and compassion and forgiveness.

"He was trying to bring people together and that is what the church should be about," he said.

The musician said the church hierarchy and the traditionalists may be "up in arms" about same-sex marriages but times have changed.

According to Independent, the musician plans to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin when he visits the country in November. He said it's no use pretending not to be talking to these people, since the "only way things get solved is by talking to people."

"There are so many people out there who are living a life of hell and I'm living a life of, you know, luxury and I have my human rights intact and I won't forget," Sir Elton added.

However, despite the ongoing concern with same-sex marriage, Sir Elton John praised the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Pope for their work in trying to modernise their churches.

He claimed to be excited at the humanity shown by Pope Francis who has softened the Catholic Church's opinion on homosexuality and contraceptives. He said the Pope had "taken everything down to the humility of faith."

"He's stripped it down to the bare bones and said it's all basically about love and inclusiveness. That has to be encouraged by the Church of England as well," he added.

Apparently, Sir Elton John's statement about Jesus was sidestepped by a church spokesman, who told Metro that they agree with the musician about his assessment that Jesus was a great person. However, he thinks Jesus is more than that since people will continue to deliberate his teachings for many years to come.

Source:YouTube/Sky News