The Bishop accused of "groping" Ariana Grande at Aretha Franklin's funeral has apologised.

The bishop who officiated Aretha Franklin’s funeral has apologised to singer Ariana Grande after he was accused of touching her inappropriately on stage.

Bishop Charles Ellis III greeted Grande after she performed Franklin’s hit (You Make Me Feel Like) a Natural Woman. Video footage showed him holding the 25-year-old well above her waist with his hand pressing repeatedly against the left side of her chest.

The video went viral with fans calling out the inappropriate behaviour using the hashtag #RespectAriana.

Watch the moment fans are furious over.

Speaking to The Associated Press, the Pentecostal preacher apologised for his actions.

“It would never be my intention to touch any woman’s breast,” he said.

Instead, Bishop Ellis III’s said he hugged all the special guests who performed and spoke at the nine-hour service, and said he might have accidentally “crossed the border”.

“I don’t know, I guess I put my arm around her. Maybe I crossed the border, maybe I was too friendly or familiar but again, I apologise,” he said.

“Everybody that was up, I shook their hands and hugged them.”

“That’s what we are all about in the church. We are all about love.”

“When you’re doing a program for nine hours, you try to keep it light,” he told the Associated Press.

The preacher also apologised for the racially-insensitive remarks he made about Grande’s name.

“When I saw ‘Ariana Grande’ on the program, I thought that was a new something at Taco Bell. Girl, let me give you all your respect,” he had said.

Here’s what the people of Twitter had to say.

Can you IMAGINE the outcry from idiots currently saying “she should have said something” if Ariana HAD stopped & said “Bishop get your creepy hands off me & also don’t belittle my name you old perve” during a funeral? Predatory men rely on women not making a scene #RespectAriana

— Jess McGuire???? (@jessmcguire) September 1, 2018

Bishop Charles H. Ellis III belittled @ArianaGrande, suggesting she was a Taco Bell menu item, while physically locking her in awkward embrace and squeezing her breast. This has nothing to do with what she’s wearing and everything to do with his shameful refusal to #RespectAriana https://t.co/KEbxaeUIdj

— Kate Woodsome (@kwoodsome) September 1, 2018

hi ariana I hope you are well, I love you, I just found out what happened I was angry and sad is incredible people’s minds but you endured that, ariana we are all with you, I hope to meet you soon I want to be a singer #RespectAriana @ArianaGrande eres la mejor

— grande_harmony (@Catalella150) September 2, 2018

it’s just unacceptable. this needs to stop now. and the fact that people are saying that she was tempting him because her dress was “too short” is absolutely disgusting #RespectAriana pic.twitter.com/FyIdMitYdP

— alex (@alexalbertv) September 2, 2018

Everybody saying Ariana asked for it because of the length of the dress need to realize that doesn’t matter because he’s not groping her leg, he’s groping her BREAST which is COMPLETELY covered. He would still have groped her if she was covered head to toe #respectariana pic.twitter.com/uMuRhIUxbc

— Grace worships Danai & Beyoncé (@lagraciacubana) September 2, 2018

Idk if the dress was appropriate or not, (probably no) but the real problem is how people are blaming the lenght of the dress instead of the person who thought they had the right to touching her. Please stop, it’s 2018. Time to change. #RespectAriana

— Kms????????????️‍???? (@_skottie_) September 2, 2018

People are like “she should have said something” when shit like that happens to you, you don’t say shit you freeze up. #RespectAriana

— T ???? (@azuretee) September 1, 2018

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