The latest on the pope and the French ambassador

Much has been made of Pope Francis' past remark "who am I to judge" but given the continuing lack of acceptance of the gay French ambassador to the Holy See, the pope *does* appear to be judging.

There's been a meeting between the pope and the prospective ambassador. Some have opined this shows the pope hasn't rejected the ambassador as a gay person (they prayed together!) but has instead refused to accept him because of France's 2013 marriage equality law ... but there are 20+ countries that have marriage equality and the pope has not rejected their ambassadors. The Times simply states the obvious ... Pope Francis has rejected France’s newly appointed ambassador to the Vatican because he is gay.

More from an article in The Guardian ...

Pope Francis met France’s nominated ambassador to the Holy See, who is gay, and told him that the Vatican would not accept his appointment, a French newspaper has claimed.

In a meeting over the weekend, the pontiff allegedly cited his displeasure with a controversial 2013 gay marriage law in France as part of his reason for the decision, according to the report in satirical title Le Canard Enchâiné.

Pope Francis also allegedly said he did not appreciate the manner in which France had tried to put pressure on the Vatican by nominating a man – 55-year-old Laurent Stéfanini – who French officials knew would be controversial given the church’s views on homosexuality. The Vatican declined to comment to the Guardian about the veracity of the report or whether a meeting took place.

The church’s apparent objection to Stéfanini, a practising Catholic, has been known for weeks, ever since press reports first indicated that the Vatican was dragging its feet on the nomination because of his sexual orientation ....