Vatican sacks fag priest after highly public coming out

[Howie]

The Vatican on Saturday dismissed a gay priest from his Holy See
job on the eve of a major Church meeting for a highly public
coming out that challenged the Roman Catholic teaching that
homosexual acts are a sin.

Monsignor Krzysztof Charamsa, a Polish theologian, had worked at
the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, the Vatican's
doctrinal arm, since 2003. He was also sacked from his jobs
teaching theology at pontifical universities in Rome.

Charamsa, 43, told Italy's Corriere della Sera newspaper that he
was gay and had a partner in an interview published on Saturday.
The Church does not consider homosexuality a sin but priests,
whether heterosexual or gay, are meant to be celibate.

Charasma also held a news conference with his partner and gay
activists at a Rome restaurant. They had planned a demonstration
in front of the Vatican but changed the venue several hours
before it was due to have started.

The Vatican said the dismissal had nothing to do with Charasma's
reflections on his personal life, which it said "merit respect".

But it said giving the interview and the planned demonstration
was "grave and irresponsible" given their timing on the eve of a
synod of bishops who will discuss family issues, including the
Church's position on gays.

It said his actions would subject the synod, which Pope Francis
is due to open on Sunday, to "undue media pressure".

At the news conference, Charamsa said he wanted to make "an
enormous noise for the good of the Church" and apply "good
Christian pressure" on the synod not to forget homosexual
believers.

"This decision of mine to come out was a very personal one taken
in a Catholic Church that is homophobic and very difficult and
harsh (towards gays)," he said.

He suggested that a study be made of how many homosexuals work
in the Vatican. "We can't continue showing contempt and offence
towards homosexuals," he said.

The issue of homosexuality and the Church has dominated the
aftermath of the pope's visit to the United States last week.

"I ask the pope to be strong and to remember us, homosexuals,
lesbians, transsexuals and bisexuals as children of the Church
and members of humanity," Charamsa said.

The Vatican has been embarrassed by a row over the pope's
meeting during his U.S. trip with Kim Davis, a Kentucky county
clerk who went to jail in September for refusing to honor a U.S.
Supreme Court ruling and issue same-sex marriage licences.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/10/03/us-vatican-preist-gay-
idUSKCN0RX0DK20151003