There is speculation in French and Italian media that the sexual orientation of France's nominated ambassador to the Vatican is the reason why the Holy See has not yet confirmed his nomination. It has been more than three months since the French council of ministers nominated Laurent Stefanini on January 5.

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However, until now, he has not yet been confirmed. Bruno Jouvert, whom Stefanini should have replaced, has left Vatican at the end of February with no replacement yet, reports the Independent.

Stefanini is openly gay. A French daily, Le Journal du Dimanche, cited a Vatican insider as pointing to Pope Francis himself who allegedly decided against accepting Stefanini.

The papal decision, if true, appears contradictory to the more accepting attitude of Pope Francis toward homosexuals, lesbians and LGBT, although Vatican has clearly drawn the line between sexual orientation and engaging in homosexual activities.

In 2013, Pope Francis has been quoted as saying, "If someone is gay and is looking for the Lord, who am I to judge him? You should not discriminate against or marginalize these people, and the Catechism says this as well."

The 55-year-old Stefanini is a practicing Catholic, which according to a French foreign ministry source, makes him the best possible candidate for the Vatican.

While the Vatican has declined to comment on speculations that Stefanini's being gay is a factor in the rejection of his nomination, outside a nominee's marital status, Vatican has no other criteria in accepting an ambassador, based on what a Vatican source said to the Catholic News Service in 2009.

Prior to Pope Francis, the Vatican had a history of applying strict moral standards in accepting ambassadors. In 2008, it rejected the appointment of Jean-Loup Kuhn-Delforge, a gay man, as ambassador.

In 2012, the Holy See also turned down Bulgaria's nominee, Kiril Marichkov, who - although married - allegedly had a gay sex scene in a novel that he wrote.

The Irish Times cites reports from Les Echos and Le Journal du Dimanchi that it is not Stefanini's sexual orientation that the Vatican didn't like but his public support for same-sex marriage when it was introduced in France in 2013.

France said it would not withdraw its nomination of Stefanini. Paris Archbiship Andre Cardinal Vingt-Trois wrote to Pope Francis to accept Stefanini's nomination.

TagsVatican, Pope Francis, Gay Ambassador, Laurent Stefanini