Elton John called Pope Francis \u201cmy hero\u201d for his compassion and push to accept gays by the Roman Catholic Church, at his annual AIDS benefit.\nJohn hosted the event, \u201cAn Enduring Vision: A Benefit for the Elton John AIDS Foundation,\u201d Tuesday night in New York City. He said Francis is pushing boundaries in the church and told the crowd: \u201cMake this man a saint now, OK?\u201d
\n\u201cTen years ago one of the biggest obstacles in the fight against AIDS was the Catholic Church. Today we have a pope that speaks out about it,\u201d said John, earning cheers from the attendees at Cipraini\u2019s on Wall Street.
\nCatholic bishops scrapped a proposed landmark welcome to gays earlier this month, showing deep divisions at the end of a two-week meeting sought by Francis to chart a more relevant approach to ministering to Catholic families. An earlier draft of the document offered a welcoming tone of acceptance, but that was stripped away after the bishops failed to reach consensus on a watered-down section on ministering to homosexuals.
\n\u201cHe is a compassionate, loving man who wants everybody to be included in the love of God,\u201d John said of the pope. \u201cIt is formidable what he is trying to do against many, many people in the church that opposes. He is courageous and he is fearless, and that\u2019s what we need in the world today.\u201d
\nJohn, who wrote an op-ed for New York Times on Tuesday, also honored New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo for his plan to end the AIDS epidemic in his state by 2020.
\n\u201cGood evening to all of you, the queen of England,\u201d Cuomo said as the crowd laughed, \u201cI\u2019m from Queens, but I think there\u2019s a different interpretation there.\u201d
\nMore jokes came throughout the night, where attendees included John\u2019s husband, David Furnish, Neil Patrick Harris, Alec Baldwin, Matt Lauer and host Anderson Cooper. A lunch date with newsmen was part of the auction, dubbed the \u201cgreat anchor sandwich,\u201d and it sold for $40,000.
\n\u201cI will give a little extra with dessert if you know what I mean,\u201d Cooper said at the top of the event. \u201cIt could be a long, saucy lunch.\u201d
\nMike Myers jumped onstage to offer himself for a lunch date following the bid for Cooper and Lauer, and his was auctioned for $50,000. A Damien Hirst painting sold for $270,000 and a Robert Mapplethorpe sold for $90,000.
\nJohn, who sat while the honorees gave speeches, said he was recovering from a knee operation that took place last week. He performed a rousing set at the end of the night, singing hits like \u201cTiny Dancer\u201d and \u201cYour Song\u201d while playing the piano.
\nFour tickets and backstage access to his New Year\u2019s Eve concert at the Barclays Center sold for $35,000.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"