Lady Gaga has spoken out in praise of same-sex marriage and decried the Pope's views on the subject.

The leader of the Catholic Church said last week (September 21) that "marriage and the family are institutions that must be promoted and defended from every possible misrepresentation of their true nature".

Speaking to French radio, Lady Gaga said that Pope Benedict XVI's thoughts on same-sex marriage are largely irrelevant and said that gay marriage "must" happen. The 'Born This Way's singer said:

"I think that gay marriage is going to happen. It must. We are not actually equal - humanity - if we are not allowed to freely love one another."

Gaga continued: "What the Pope thinks of being gay does not matter to the world. It matters to the people who like the Pope and follow the Pope. It is not a reflection of all religious people. This is not what Christians believe, those who believe in something, that have a religion. It is the point of view of one person."