France in Stalemate With Vatican Over Nomination of Envoy Said to Be Gay; New York Times, 10/15/15

Aurelien Breeden, New York Times; France in Stalemate With Vatican Over Nomination of Envoy Said to Be Gay:

"The dispute between Paris and the Vatican has simmered quietly since January, when France put forward its nominee for ambassador to the Holy See, Laurent Stefanini, the chief of protocol for President François Hollande.

Nine months later, the Vatican still has not said whether it would accept Mr. Stefanini’s credentials. Nor has it provided a public explanation for the delay.

The French and Italian news media have reported that he is gay and speculated that the nomination has been given what is widely being interpreted as a pocket veto, though neither Mr. Stefanini nor the French government have confirmed his sexual orientation. The French government has not denied it either, citing respect for his privacy.

Other factors, analysts say, may be the Vatican’s displeasure with France’s legalization of same-sex marriage, or the fact that news of Mr. Stefanini’s nomination had leaked before it was announced.

In any case, French news reports now suggest that the French government has lost hope that Mr. Stefanini will be accredited, even as French officials insist that the process is continuing.

The daily newspaper Libération, quoting anonymous government officials, reported last week that the French government had taken note of the Vatican’s silence and had interpreted it, as many analysts have, as a refusal."