Gay priest fired on eve of bishops’ gathering
Vatican criticizes timing of ex-official’s disclosure
The Vatican fired a priest Saturday after he came out as gay and revealed he has a boyfriend on the eve of an important-meeting of the world’s bishops to discuss church teachings on family life, which includes divorce, homosexuality and cohabitation.
Considered a high-ranking Vatican official, Monsignor Krzysztof Charamsa, 43, worked at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith since 2003.
In interviews, Charamsa said he was happy and proud to be a gay priest and was in love with a man whom he identified as his boyfriend, according to the Associated Press. He said he wanted to challenge the church’s “backwards” attitude toward homosexuality, the BBC reported.
“It’s time the church opened its eyes and realized that offering gay believers total abstinence from a life of love is inhuman,” he said, according to the network.
Charamsa also said he knew he would have to give up his ministry but felt he had a duty toward sexual minorities to come out, BBC reported.
The Vatican reacted quickly by firing him and criticizing the timing of his revelations. On Sunday, Pope Francis formally opens the global meeting, known as a synod, where about 270 bishops from around the world will discuss church doctrine.
“The decision to make such a pointed statement on the eve of the opening of the synod appears very serious and irresponsible, since it aims to subject the synod assembly to undue media pressure,” Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi said.
Charamsa remains a priest, though Lombardi said further actions could follow.