Jesus would have supported gay marriage: Elton John

Jesus would have been a supporter of gay marriage, Sir Elton John has claimed.

The pop legend, who plans to marry his partner David Furnish in a civil ceremony next year, also hit out at rules enforcing celibacy for Catholic priests in an interview with Sky News.

"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," he said.

"The church hierarchy, the traditionalists, might be up in arms about it but times have changed.

"He was all about love and compassion and forgiveness and trying to bring people together and that is what the church should be about."

The top selling musician who has long been one of the world’s most prominent gay celebrities also described Pope Francis as a sign of hope.

"He's excited me so much by his humanity," the singer said of the pope.

"He's 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."

Pope Francis has apparently taken on a more conciliatory tone towards homosexuals, since his election last year.

His comments on gay marriage and other social issues are in sharp contrast to the previous pontiff, Pope Benedict who was famously nicknamed "God's Rottweiler".