I think this is kind of a double bind. The diplomat supposedly is not openly gay, and may just be somebody with homosexual inclinations (although a lot of those people are actually kind of asexual but now get forced into being homosexual) who acted on them at one time or another. But maybe he’s really not interested in defining his entire life as “gay,” and is not sexually active with anybody, but the gay lobby wants to “out” him and make him identify as gay.
On the other hand, it may be a challenge to the Pope, although I think that if the potential diplomat were more overtly gay, the Pope would be more accepting. After all, the Papal Nuncio (Ricca, an Italian) who got kicked out of the Dominican Republic for bringing his own boyfriend and frolicking around with him is now in good standing with the Vatican and taking on other tasks, thanks to Pope Francis.
I doubt that it was the Pope who opposed the French diplomat, but was somebody in the diplomatic corps, and this will probably be reversed after the Pope sends that person off to Siberia.
This leaves us with a conundrum. A self-affirmed practicing Catholic, apparently supported by the Church’s hierarchy, is probably losing any chance of becoming French ambassador to the Holy See over media rumors concerning his real or supposed homosexuality. A mixture of true and false information has been spread whose consequences are embarrassing for all concerned, but which at the end of the day appear to be especially detrimental to the Church and to the French pro-traditional marriage movement. No one can say for certain whether he has been rejected by the Holy See or not, and if so, by whom – the Pope? – nor for what reason, if any. Apparently, a change of personnel at the Secretariat of State of the Holy See could explain the delay for Stefanini’s acceptance but that, again, is a conjecture. Also: who had an interest in creating this public “scandal”?