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France has reportedly dropped its attempt to appoint a gay Catholic diplomat as its ambassador to the Vatican, after a nine month standoff.
In January, President Francois Hollande named Laurent Stefani as ambassador to the Holy See.
The Vatican did not accept his credentials, but did not explicitly reject him.
Mr Stefani, who is President Hollande’s chief of protocol, had been France’s second-in-command at its Vatican embassy between 2001 and 2005.
Mr Stefani’s appointment as ambassador to the Vatican was reportedly supported by the Archbishop of Paris, Cardinal Andre Vingt-Trois.
Now sources at the Élysée Palace have told French daily Libération that President Hollande had given up his efforts over the Stefanini appointment.
“It’s dead,” a source was quoted as saying.
Officially, Élysée Palace and Vatican officials declined to comment on the reports.
According to Libération, President Hollande is not expected to put forward another candidate for the Vatican post before the next French presidential election in 2017.
A report in the French Le Canard Enchainé in April claimed that Pope Francis had a “very discreet” meeting with Mr Stefanini.
At this meeting, the Pontiff reportedly said his objection to the appointment was not personal, but an indication of the Vatican’s disapproval of France’s 2013 gay marriage law.
Philippe Levillain, a papal specialist and French historian, told media the Vatican did not want to be seen as homophobic.
“There’s a flagrant contradiction between the openness Pope Francis is showing towards homosexuals and the refusal to accept Laurent Stefanini’s nomination. It’s not a very charitable attitude,” Mr Levillain said.
Sources
- The Guardian
- Image: Italian Insider
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News category: World.
