Krzysztof Charamsa, the Polish priest
who was fired for coming out gay, says that the Roman Catholic Church
forces gay priests to hate themselves.
“Many priests, many bishops, many
persons in Catholic clergy are gay, are homosexual people. With
sensitivity of homosexuals. But they must hate themselves,”
something Charamsa described to the AP as a “special kind of
homophobia.”
The 43-year-old Charamsa announced that
he is gay and has a partner, Spaniard Eduardo Planas, on the day
before Pope Francis opened the Synod of Bishops, a three-week
assembly of bishops from around the world looking at issues facing
Catholic families.
The Vatican called Charamsa's actions
“irresponsible,” adding that he “will certainly be unable” to
continue as a theologian at the Vatican.
Last month, a Polish bishop defrocked
Charamsa, saying that he failed to abide by his vow of celibacy.
Charamsa, who now lives with his
partner in Barcelona, described himself as “a happy gay priest.”
“And I can say it with transparency,
with all my truth,” he
continued. “We fought this horrible lying of my Church, of the
Vatican. And as for the Vatican I think their first reaction was
panic. Panic and automatic elimination of this man. In one moment I
was out from the Vatican.”