Free Republic

The French government has chosen not to name a new ambassador to the Holy See, after the Vatican declined to accept the nomination of Laurent Stefanini. The government of France put forward Stefanini’s name in January. The Vatican did not formally respond, but after weeks of silence it became evident that the Holy See did not approve the nomination. (Under ordinary diplomatic protocol, a country is not required to accept an ambassador, and no explanation is required.) Nevertheless Francis refused to withdraw Stefanini’s name. Media reports in France suggested that the nomination was not approved because Stefanini is homosexual. But...

Stories were blowing up the Internet last week saying that France was sending Laurent Stefanini — an “openly gay” ambassador — to the Vatican. More turmoil and surprise when the Vatican refused his appointment. We didn’t cover the story, though we did link to it in this piece. Only something is not right: The first interesting point is that Stefanini, before the press took hold of this affair, was not publicly known as a homosexual: reliable sources say he never touched the subject. He is 54, unmarried, without children; he also has no known companion. He is not known ever...

Liberals have had high hopes (no pun intended) for Pope Francis ever since his election. His sometimes nuanced messages of compassion for all humans have been regularly covered here by Ed and I have found many of them inspiring, though really not all that different from traditional messages coming from the Vatican. The Pontiff just has a different way of expressing himself than some of his predecessors. But that hasn’t stopped many liberals from believing that a sea change was in the air, particularly when it came to the relationship between the church and gay and lesbian Catholics. But...