Pope expels gay priest from Vatican

The Vatican, on Saturday, fired a senior priest,

Krzysztof Charamsa, who publicly came out as gay

on the eve of a major meeting of church leaders to

discuss the Church’s stance on social issues such as

divorce and homosexuality.

A statement by a spokesman for Pope Francis

described the Polish priest’s action as “very serious

and irresponsible,” adding that he would be

immediately sacked from his post as a theologian in

the Vatican.

The statement read, “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.”

Charamsa, who is a mid-level official in the

Vatican bureaucracy’s dealing with church doctrine,

flanked by his Spanish boyfriend while donning his

priest’s collar, on Saturday, had earlier told a news

conference in Rome that he was compelled to speak

out against the “hypocrisy and paranoia” that he

said had shaped the Church’s attitude to sexual

minorities.

The 43-year-old priest said, “I’m out of the

closet, and I’m very happy about that. I want to be

an advocate for all sexual minorities and their

families who have suffered in silence.”

He presented a 10-point “liberation manifesto”

against “institutionalised homophobia in the

Church,” which he said particularly oppressed the

gay men who, according to him, make up the

majority of priests.

He also revealed plans for a book about his 12

years at the heart of a Vatican bureaucracy, only

just recovering from a scandal under previous Pope

Benedict XVI over the influence of a “gay lobby”

among senior clergy. 

Source :PunchNg