Vatican fires priest for revealing he was gay

Monsignor Krysztof Charamsa (L) said that he was happy and proud to be a gay priest, and was in love with a man whom he identified as his boyfriend.

Vatican City: The Vatican yesterday fired a senior priest, who came out as gay on the eve of a big meeting of the world's bishops to discuss church outreach to gays, divorcees and more traditional families.

Happy and gay: Monsignor Krysztof Charamsa (L) said that he was happy and proud to be a gay priest, and was in love with a man whom he identified as his A. Pic/AFP

Monsignor Krysztof Charamsa was a mid-level official in the Vatican's doctrine office. In interviews with local newspapers, Charamsa said that he was happy and proud to be a gay priest, and was in love with a man whom he identified as his boyfriend.

"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. As a result, Charamsa could no longer work at the Vatican or its pontifical universities," the Vatican spokesman, the Rev Federico Lombardi, said.

However, Charamsa said that he made the announcement because he wanted to bring attention to the issue of homosexuality.

Charamsa had planned a press conference in Rome on Saturday to discuss his sexual orientation and criticise the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith for spreading "pervasive and blind homophobia," but was pre-empted by the Vatican action.