The Vatican has fired a priest that came out as gay in public interviews and admitted that he had a partner, a violation of the vows of celibacy that all priests in the Catholic Church must take.
Monsignor Krzysztof Charamsa, 43-years-old, was fired from his position at the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, which writes official doctrine, according to Reuters.
Charamsa, who is Polish, was also fired from his positions teaching theology at religious universities in Rome.
Charamsa came out just before the church’s international gathering of bishops, or synod, to discuss doctrine, priorities, and the way forward for the church.
The issue of homosexuality is particularly sensitive, as Pope Francis has tried to steer the church away from its strong focus on the issue and other issues like gay marriage and abortion.
In a statement, the Church said that Charamsa’s timing of his decision to come out only threatend the church’s unity and promised to bring excessive media attention to the synod.
Charamsa had also planned a demonstration outside the Vatican, but changed the location at the last minute.
