Vatican Silently 'Rejects' Nomination of New Openly Gay French Ambassador

The Vatican has apparently rejected the nomination of an openly gay French ambassador to the Holy See after failing to respond to his appointment for more than two months now.

Laurent Stefanini's nomination was sent to the Vatican last January but the latter has not responded, a report from The Guardian last Friday said. Normally, a new ambassador's credentials are accepted by the host country within a month.

Stefanini, 55, according to The Guardian, has been praised by the Italian media as a man of "exceptional culture." He is a senior diplomate and chief of protocol of French President Francois Hollande.

The newspaper said Vatican's stance of not responding to Stefanini's nomination meant that Pope Francis is not keen on accepting his credentials. The Vatican has no comment on the issue.

The Guardian said this development could erode Pope Francis' image as being more tolerant than other Catholic church leaders on the issue of gay rights.

In 2013, the Pope raised the now famous question "Who am I to judge?" in response to a reporter's query on the existence of "gay lobby" in the Vatican.

However, during his trip to the Philippines last January, Pope Francis denounced efforts to "redefine family" and the institution of marriage.

Stefanini's appointment had the blessing of Cardinal Andre Vingt-Trois of Paris, Out magazine said.

The Vatican Insider reported that last February, Stefanini was invited to a meeting with Paris Archbishop Luigi Ventura where he was informally asked to step aside and renounce his nomination because of his sexual orientation, The Guardian said.

The fact that the request was made directly to Stefanini during an informal interview indicated how the case was much more delicate than others that have occurred in the past. In 2007, the Holy See approved French Ambassador Jean Loup Kuh-Delforge, an openly gay man and living with his boyfriend, the Vatican Insider said.

This leaves the possibility that the non-acceptance of Stefanini's nomination was not his sexual orientation but by other motives, the report said.

Stefanini was born in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France, in 1960 and received confirmation in 1998 from Vingt-Trois, who was then an auxilliary bishop, according to the report.