A Polish priest who had served as second secretary of the Vatican's International Theological Commission was dismissed from his post on Saturday after coming out as gay.
Father Krzysztof Charamsa came out on the eve of a Vatican synod that is set to discuss how the Church should treat homosexuals and divorcees.
“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,” said Vatican spokesman Reverend Federico Lombardi.
Monsignor Krzysztof Charamsa has not however been defrocked, although Lombardi hinted that there may be further action against the priest.
Charamsa himself has appeared at a press conference in Rome with his partner, named only as Eduard. “I came out,” he said. “This is a very personal, difficult and tough decision in the Catholic church's homophobic world,” he added.
The priest has also written a book, which will be published in Polish and Italian.
He told Polish daily Gazeta Wyborcza that he is a “happy and proud gay priest.”
Dariusz Cisowski
