Vatican rejects France's new gay ambassador

Sometimes lunacy like this just takes my breath away.

I suggest, therefore, that France rejects any representation from the Vatican! Who knows what might be hiding behind all of the watered silk and french cuffs?

That's typical of the Vatican, always ready with that honorary first stone to throw. Yeah right...

Is the ambassador supposed to represent France to the Vatican, or the Vatican to France? France should say, this is who we pick as our representative, if you don't like it, we end diplomatic relations.

Why do you people hate the Vatican so much?

Abe, when the Vatican exhibits stupid, unwarranted behavior, it deserves the criticism that it gets. The Vatican in these cases is being treated by other countries as a country (Vatican City State, remember?). The kind of behavior being exhibited is not acceptable in relations between states.

Why the angst? Would France have nominated an openly homosexual man as ambassador to Saudi Arabia or any other Moslem country ? - I think not. Ok let them sever diplomatic relations, who would be the loser, certainly not the Vatican.

Since when is it a problem for an ambassador to be Protestant? Wasn't there a long-standing custom until quite recently that the British ambassador to the Vatican was always Protestant?

Given the Vatican's continuing sanctimonious posturing on a whole range of issues, maybe the time has come for the French church to create an indenpendent Gallican State Church with President Sarkozy as its "governor".

So much for tolerance and charity. If Benedict had been running the fancy banquets Jesus attended, where would the tax collectors and harlots have gone?

The key word in this article is "openly". The Vatican has tons of priests, bishops, and cardinals who are gay but keep it under their cassocks (dresses.)

Jim McCrea,

Please explain to me what "acceptable relations between states" are. I take it you work for the State Dept. or the UN?

If society used the "bigot standards" of the Vatican all civilization would stop. Are we really suppose to "pretend" that there are no gay people in the rest of the real world. The Vatican's standards are archaic and unrealistic in todays world.

If I am in the position of determining who will best represent my country to another and have the concurrence of whatever agency in my country has to support my decision, then I have attempted acceptable relations between my country and another. If that receiving country rejects my choice I would consider that interfering with whom I chose to conduct international relations and would not consider that to be an acceptable means of dealing with my country.

France should have thought twice before sending an openly gay ambassador to the Vatican. The Vatican is not like any other country. How would France feel if a Middle Eastern country sends an Islamist Fundamentalist as an ambassador

There should be no Vatican state.