Pope Francis may be pro-gay when stacked up against his predecessors, but that’s not exactly a triumph. It’s been widely reported in French media that he’s now essentially rejected the nomination of Laurent Stefanini as France’s ambassador to the Vatican because Stefanini is gay.
Stefanini was nominated in early January, and credentials are typically accepted within six weeks. Now some thirteen weeks later, Francis has yet to accept him. The Vatican does not expressly deny credentials, so the silence is being interpreted as a rejection.
Le Journal du Dimanche quotes a Vatican insider saying it was “a decision taken by the pope himself.”
French President Francois Hollande nominated Stefanini, saying he is “one of our best diplomats.”
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The Catholic Church still openly opposes gay marriage and gay adoption.
The Vatican has declined to comment.
Pope Francis made headlines in July 2013 when he said, “If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?”
h/t: GayStarNews
Sean Burke
Shame..there was some progress.. but a step back..sadly!
Kelly Keigwin
Personally, I’m willing to give this great man the chance to evolve with his opinions about us before throwing him to the lions. He is the best thing to happen to modern organized religion in my lifetime. I am hoping in time he will soften his stance about homosexuality and I refuse to hate on him in the meantime.
Robert Becker
Who are you to judge…? indeed?
Drew C. Smith
This guy is pathetic. And, those who support him? *smh*
Xzamilio
What did you expect? People were so hellbent on making this guy so much more “gay friendly” when truthfully, he’s just a more passive aggressive version of past popes and he has no intentions of making any changes to Catholicism… how there is even a need for a pope in this day and age says more about humanity’s need to grasp on to illogical supernatural nonsense than anything else coming out of his mouth…or not coming out of it. Man, am I glad I let go of needing validation from sky daddies to justify my existence. If that offends any of you…. okay.
Merv
Anybody who thought the RCC was going to change its view on gay people was hopelessly naive. Christianity cannot be reformed. It must be destroyed by confronting it with the truth and allowing it to die.
Derek Williams
It was too good to last.
Merv
@Kelly Keigwin: Stockholm Syndrome much?
jwtraveler
“Too gay”? I don’t understand this term. Are there degrees of gay? Would a little bit bisexual be OK?
Transiteer
ahhh Francis . . . . all show, no substance. Nothing has changed.
Billy Budd
Hypocrites. All of Them.
Donald Rhoton
he is just the ass i was thinking he was
passingthru
Not surprising at all. He’s not a great man, rather, he is a superstitious, judgmental POS. He might be slightly better than the other guy but they are both from the same horrible tribe. Don’t believe their media smokescreens; they are not our friends.
Maude
Pope Francis will be visiting America in the not too distant future, and he will address a Joint Session Of Congress as well as the United Nations..where it is hoped he will ‘come out’ (pun intended) in favor of Gays everywhere.
Maude
@jwtraveler:
Does “swishy” ring a bell?!
Avery Alvarez
This dunce has been a liar from the beginning.
He is the “PR Pope”, and nothing more.
passingthru
@Maude: “Swishy” is a WAY outdated concept for being “too gay”. Today, it’s more about someone being strong, vocal and OUT.
Curty
No one in the glbt Community should trust religious groups, people who demonize glbt people. The bible is very clear about homosexuality and although there are other so called sins… the church tends to harp on gay people more than any allege sin. You got adultery, fornication, murderers, unwed mothers. But for some reason the church, religious make it seem all is forgiven as long as you’re not gay. I’m glad im not religious and let books twll me how to treat people. Its brainwashing.
Realitycheck
@Sean Burke:
It is not a black and white situation, if you look at the history and structure
of the Roman catholic church and it is easy to understand why, but there is a
much bigger problem, western Europe is no longer religious, people do not go
to church = no donations.
And independently of what the Pope might like to do, he has to
move very slow or he risks to alienate even more devotees, and the Roman chaotic church
is bleeding away followers, and so its revenues constantly diminish as well as its influence.
Basically nobody would follow a pro-gay Pope, but there is thin hope, the Pope might just be
waiting to see people reactions to the idea of a gay bishop.
Xzamilio
@Curty: Well of course… those straight religious hypocrites can easily turn a blind eye to everything that doesn’t affect them. They don’t want to wait until they’re married… some of them want to sleep around on their spouses… be all around low down to their fellow man. But they don’t have the “struggle” of being gay so that is one “sin” that is easy for them to harp on as being wrong. You said it perfectly, and it’s the reason why I wrote “Sin Only Matters When You’re Gay” a year ago, and I see it STILL holds water
http://shallowvoices.blogspot.com/2014/01/sin-only-matters-when-youre-gay.html
David Brough
This man rejects the new French Ambassador to vatican and I reject this pope but we will both have to get on with it and live and let live.
enlightenone
Pope said, ““If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?”
Talk is cheap; and some homosexuals are quick to grab his skirt tail for external validation! Until they are sent to purgatory for child rapes, no “positive” change of doctrine or speech about the gays matters not.
inbama
Disgraceful.
ted72
Abolish religion for damaging society’s progress
Cobalt Blue
A fag in The Holly See isn’t appropiated. Can you imagine an openly gay ambassador in Putin’s Russia? Feeling must be used if you are in diplomacy. More than 1.2 billion people worth someone better fited…Also France is a Catholic country…
Realitycheck
@Cobalt Blue:
Like Italy french don’t go to church and they are more open to gay,
hence the gay bishop.
@ted72:
If only, right? Religion has done so much damage to progress
held back science and perpetrated discrimination.
jason smeds
The Bible does NOT forbid homosexual feelings. It forbids homosexual behavior. This is a distinction that is conveniently forgotten by both sides of the argument around homosexuality.
Xzamilio
@jason smeds: Who the hell cares what the bible has to say? It doesn’t work on ANY side of the argument around homosexuality. Do you know how much of that book is “conveniently” forgotten? Hell, the part in Corinthians listing gay people as those who will not inherit “God’s kingdom” also lists fornicators, adulterers, drunkards, reviles,idolators, blah blah blah. Why do people need so badly to feed modern day logic into the bible, ESPECIALLY when you know there was no enlightened approach to homosexuals? Have you seen how women are treated in there? Slavery is condoned and sanctioned.
You are making a distinction without a difference as far as I’m concerned… you might as well say, “God wants you to be celibate and deny yourself any real chance at love in this lifetime” I know what you represent, Jason, but this is pathetic, even for you
Caesar Lazaro
Says a man wearing a dress
J.r. Graff
So happy I left Catholicism years ago and now, Agnostic. Religious people: you all are just crazy. LoL And it takes a lot for a theater grad, who’s seen it all, to back away and be like, “uh, you’re crazy, I’m out, bye!” Seriously.
Bruce Dillon
pRAISE CA$H! EYE Meant STaint PETER’S bASSillica!
(*;*()
Giancarlo85
@jason smeds: Nobody gives a crap what your self hating ass says. The bible condones a lot of awful behavior like slavery and killing.
Jokie X Wilson
Too gay means not broken, on drugs, suffering, or in prison. We can’t have happy well-adjusted gays. Oh, no! That sets a bad example!
excusemydust
This is unsurprising, but disappointing. One can’t expect too much, I suppose. I think some of us had hoped he would drag his church kicking and screaming into the 21st century, but that was a misguided thought.
Caoimhin Mikael Lycke
Not surprising. The RCC has never and will never have a leader who embodies the Christ. They would have to elect Jimmy Carter but it’s not likely!
Caoimhin Mikael Lycke
Sheep in wolve’s clothing.
hex0
“The Advocate’s”, man of the year lol. He was always a homophobic prick, he just managed to fool some idiots.
gaym50ish
In 2003, homosexuality was described as a “troubling moral and social phenomenon” in a document issued by the powerful Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, then headed by German Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who became Pope Benedict XVI.
This is a church that once demonized the Cathars and the Templars, demonized Jews and Muslims, and burned heretics and witches in front of cheering crowds. But even though they have gotten over those morally corrupt practices, their leaders still think it’s OK to demonize gays. That, in spite of estimates that about 40 percent of their priests ARE gay.
“For centuries church teachings against sexual minorities have led to suicide, wasted lives, ruined relationships, broken families, discrimination and physical violence,” said Marianne Duddy, former executive director of Dignity USA, an organization for gay Catholics. “The Vatican’s holy war against sexual minorities has far-reaching effects both inside and outside the church.”
Dale Landefeld
wimpy hippocrite
GayDinosaurTales
People hang onto that one sentence quote from the Pope in 2013. It was a soundbite and nothing more. Church doctrine has not moved on this issue one bit.
Clark35
Pope Francis is not pro gay/LGBT even if he and his sheep want to claim he is.
Giancarlo85
The Pope had a big issue with Argentina’s President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner legalizing same sex marriage in Argentina. He voiced his disagreement before he became pope. Cristina Fernandez is a true hero for millions in Argentina, and a vocal leader against interference by the CIA and other nefarious agencies (who tried to concoct a non-existent scandal to bring her administration down).
http://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/pope-francis-and-the-dirty-war
Anyways, the Pope has a shady history little talk about. There are possible ties to the Argentine military junta during the 1970s that led the dirty war.
DCFarmboi
@gaym50ish: “This is a church that once demonized the Cathars …” Of course, the Cathars were opposed to all sex whatsoever.