Would-be French ambassador to Holy See meets with Pope; nomination remains stalled

April 22, 2015

Pope Francis has met privately with the French government’s nominee to become ambassador to the Holy See, but the nomination remains unconfirmed.

A French government spokesman announced on April 22 that Laurent Stefanini, whose nomination has not been accepted by the Vatican, had a brief meeting with the Pontiff. Neither the French government nor the Vatican commented on the substance of that meeting.

Stefanini was proposed to the Vatican in January. The French government spokesman confirmed that Paris is still “waiting for the Vatican’s reply after the usual discussions and review of his candidacy.”

In recent weeks, media outlets in France and Italy have reported that the Vatican has blocked Stefanini’s appointment because the French diplomat is homosexual. The would-be ambassador is a practicing Catholic who has never publicly identified himself as homosexual, and the French foreign ministry has discouraged questions on the topic, urging reporters to respect his privacy.

One French publication—Le Canard Enchainé, a satirical paper—reported that during his meeting with Stefanini, Pope Francis said that he had blocked the nomination because he thought the nomination of a homosexual envoy was provocative, in the wake of the legal acceptance of same-sex marriage in France. That report is unconfirmed.

 

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Further information:

• Pope met French Vatican envoy nominee at centre of gay speculation (Reuters)
• Paper claims pope rejected gay French diplomat as ambassador to Holy See (Guardian)
• France still waiting on Vatican response to ambassador's nomination (CWN, 4/14)