Gay Priest Fired by Vatican because of Homophobia

A Polish priest, who came out as gay and was fired by the Vatican just before a meeting of bishops about outreach to gays, said a "very special kind of homophobia" exists among priests, because those who are homosexual are forced to hate themselves.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Krzysztof Charamsa said that everybody at the Vatican knows who is gay and who is not, but nobody talks about it freely

. Charamsa was a mid-level official in the Vatican's doctrine office. He openly admitted his homosexuality in interviews in Italy and Poland last month, saying he was happy and proud to be a gay priest and was in love with his boyfriend.

The declarations, a day before the bishops met, prompted the Vatican to fire him. Despite his dismissal, Charamsa remains a priest, although the director of the Holy See Press Office, Father Federico Lombardi, hinted that his superiors could take further action.

Charamsa, 43, now lives with his boyfriend in Barcelona.


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