Vatican says no to France's gay choice

The Pope might not be behind the Vatican's rejection of France's gay envoy, but his strong beliefs on the sanctity of the family are thought to have triggered it. Photo / AP

Rome has thrown away the rubber stamp and told Hollande to think again on his envoy, writes Catherine Field.

For centuries, France has named its ambassador to the Holy See under a process that is as smooth, classy and predictable as the ticking of an antique clock.

Tradition dictates that the appointee is a conservative, senior diplomat - a decent chap who's on his last posting before retirement and deserves a job with perks, flunkies and not too much work.

The appointment is approved by the French President, then the bureaucratic machinery whirrs silently into gear. The papal envoy in Paris, the Apostolic Nuncio, is informed. He tells the church hierarchy in Rome, which rubber-stamps the President's choice.

Staff at the French embassy to the Holy See then put a final polish to the Villa Bonaparte, an 18th century edifice decorated in fine Empire style, to prepare for His Excellency and his spouse.

The protocols of these changeovers are almost set in stone. After all, France has had diplomatic relations with the Holy See since the fifth century with only a few breaks, and enjoys status in the Vatican as "the eldest daughter of the Church", a reflection of the historic loyalty of French Catholics.

But this year has brought a traumatic and very public bust-up.

The Vatican is refusing to accept President Francois Hollande's ambassadorial choice, who is gay.

The man at the centre of the storm is Laurent Stefanini, 54, a veteran diplomat whose previous postings include spells at the United Nations and the Holy See, and envoy during France's past turns at the helm of the G20 and G8.

Colleagues at the Foreign Ministry told the Herald that Stefanini has a strong reputation for dealing with sensitive portfolios, including religion and the environment, and is well regarded for being able to tease out common ground when national interests collide.

Since 2010, Stefanini has been head of protocol at the Elysee, serving Hollande and his predecessor, Nicolas Sarkozy. He is also a practising Catholic and was confirmed in the religion by the current Archbishop of Paris, Cardinal Andre Vingt-Trois.

With this useful background and experience, Stefanini represented Hollande in November 2014 during a brief visit to France by Pope Francis.

Laurent Stefanini is a veteran diplomat whose previous postings include spells at the United Nations and the Holy See, and envoy during France's past turns at the helm of the G20 and G8. Photo / AP

Everything, therefore, seemed fine until, on January 5, Hollande approved Stefanini as the next ambassador. Exactly a month later, according to reports, Stefanini was called to an informal meeting at the Apostolic Nuncio in Paris where he was asked to withdraw his candidature because of his sexual orientation.

The President's office is standing firm. It said Stefanini's nomination came from "a wish by the President and a Cabinet decision", and that the President regarded him as "one of our best diplomats".

"France has chosen its ambassador to the Vatican. This choice was [Laurent] Stefanini and that remains the French proposal," said government spokesman Stephane Le Foll.

Neither the Curia nor the Pope have spoken publicly about the case.

"When an ambassador is appointed, the name is published in the official bulletin of the Holy See. Until that time, there is nothing to be said," a statement from Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi's office said.

The first consequence of the quarrel has been to ignite a debate about where the church stands today on homosexuality.

The Catholic Church opposes social acceptance of homosexuality and gay marriage, claiming it goes against the dogma of marriage as a union "between one man and one woman, joined as husband and wife in an intimate partnership".

But it has begun calling for a more respectful and just pastoral care towards gays.

In a dramatic flourish in 2013, the Pope seemed to open the door to change. Speaking to journalists on his return flight from a trip to Brazil, he said "Who am I to judge?" in the case of a homosexual who "is seeking the Lord and has good will".

The president of Italy's Gaynet movement, Franco Grillini, said that by rejecting Stefanini, the Vatican had taken back this olive branch and snapped it in two.

"Evidently, the 'who am I to judge if a homosexual Catholic is seeking the Lord' does not apply to a diplomat," Grillini said.

But is it really the Pope who is behind the rejection? Could it be the Vatican's secretive civil service, the Curia? Cardinal Vingt-Trois publicly supports Stefanini's appointment.

Sources say that in 2007, in a dispute under Nicolas Sarkozy, that was quietly resolved - the Curia opposed two candidates for French ambassador.

The first was rejected because he was divorced and had remarried; the second was openly gay and in a civil partnership. The ambassador's job was vacant for 13 months until the two sides discreetly came to an agreement on a candidate.

"This happens all the time, it is quite normal for the Curia to not approve an ambassador-designate," a Vatican source told the Herald. "France just needs to find somebody who is acceptable to both sides or there will be a break in relations."

Others say the rift is more complicated than Stefanini's sexuality or the presumed machinations of the Curia.

Instead, they say, it stems from Pope Francis' profoundly felt beliefs about the role of the family, which are being challenged by Hollande.

The Vatican, the source there told the Herald, is unhappy with French laws introduced in 2013 which give gay marriage the same legal status as those for heterosexuals and allow gays to adopt children.

Recent changes to French assisted suicide laws and the shortening from seven days to 48 hours of the "reflection period" for having an abortion have also caused ripples.

In October, the Pope is to host a synod of bishops to discuss the future of the family. It is hardly surprising, therefore, that the French Catholic daily newspaper La Croix, quoting an unnamed church source, should say Hollande is making "a provocation" by proposing a gay ambassador.

If there are wheels within wheels in the Vatican, the same holds true for France.

Hollande is from the Socialist Party, which has fierce anti-clerical traditions rooted in the 1789 French Revolution. He is a keen supporter of French secularism - the strict separation between church and state, which sets the conditions and tone for public life.

By pushing hard on Stefanini's appointment, Hollande would be wooing his own diehards - the Socialist Party's left wing, which is angry at his pro-business economic reforms.

France has given a deadline of April 30 for the Curia to give its response. But both sides seem entrenched.

"I see no way out of this," a French Foreign Ministry official said. "The point we have reached means that to find a solution, each partner will lose something."