Elton John brands Pope Francis ‘my hero’ for his push to accept gays and tells AIDS fundraiser ‘make him a saint already’

Elton John called Pope Francis 'my hero' at an AIDS benefit for his compassion and push to accept gays in the Catholic church.

The Rocket Man singer hosted the event, An Enduring Vision: A Benefit for the Elton John AIDS Foundation, on Tuesday night in New York City.

He said Francis is pushing boundaries in the church and told the crowd: 'Make this man a saint already, OK?'

Elton John performs at the Elton John AIDS Foundation's 13th Annual 'An Enduring Vision' benefit

'Ten 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,' said John, earning cheers from the attendees at Cipriani's on Wall Street.

Catholic bishops scrapped a landmark welcome to gays earlier this month, showing deep divisions at the end of a two-week meeting sought by Francis to create a more merciful interpretation of Catholic dogma.