Krzysztof Charamsa Publishes Book Explaining Choice to Come Out as a Gay Priest: The First Stone: I, Gay Priest, and My Rebellion Against the Church’s Hypocrisy

As many of you will know, shortly before the Catholic Synod on the Family opened, a Polish priest, Monsignor Krzysztof Charamsa, who worked in the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, revealed that he was gay and has a partner, Eduard Planas. He was subsequently removed from his CDF position and defrocked. If you click on Krzysztof's name in the labels below, you'll find a series of postings telling his story, with links to statements he has made.

Ivone Gebara and Krzysztof Charamsa on Amoris Laetitia: "Ideological Propaganda of the 'Joy' of Love Which Is Heterosexual Only, and Which Insensitively Excludes All Others, Who Should Not Exist"

Two more very valuable pieces of commentary about the papal exhortation on the family Amoris Laetitia that I'd like to recommend to you this morning:

Monsignor Krzysztof Charamsa to Magazine of ILGA-Europe: "The Catholic Church Needs Its Own Stonewall"

As a Valentine's day gift to you, here are some excerpts from an interview that Msgr. Krzysztof Charamsa has just done with Juris Lavrikovs for the Magazine of ILGA-Europe (pdf file). As many of you will know, Krzysztof Charamsa is a Polish priest who formerly worked in the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and who came out publicly as gay right before the synod on the family opened last fall. He was then quickly defrocked by his bishop, and has given a number of previous interviews I've highlighted here — to Religión Digital (and here), The Guardian, and LGBT News Italia. He has also written an open letter to Pope Francis (and here) appealing to him to address the inhumane treatment of LGBT people by the pastoral leaders of the Catholic church.

New Interview with Monsignor Krzysztof Charamsa: "Today the Church Is One of the Most Powerful Agencies of Irrational Hate Towards Sexual Minorities"

Yesterday, LGBT News Italia published an interview with the former Vatican official Monsignor Krzysztof Charamsa, who made a public announcement that he is gay and partnered last October, and who was then removed from his position in the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Here are some excerpts:

Krzysztof Charamsa's Letter to the Pope in English Translation: "I’ve Made the Decision to Publicly Refuse the Violence of the Church with Regard to [LBTI] People"

Because Giova Gallagher has kindly pointed us in a comment here to an English translation of the full text of Monsignor  Krzysztof Charamsa's letter to Pope Francis at the Crux website, I'm going to leave a final note before I begin my two-week retreat, sharing that link with all of you, with much gratitude to Giova for finding it for us. The Crux article (by Gaia Pianigiani of New York Times) says that the translation is by Crux.

"No One Leaves Home Unless Home Is the Mouth of a Shark": Krzysztof Charamsa on the "Unspeakable Suffering" Catholic Pastoral Leaders Inflict on LGBTI People

In his letter to the pope, Krzysztof Charamsa says that he came out of the closet after a long and tormented period of prayer and discernment because he can no longer tolerate "the violence of the Church towards homosexual, lesbian, bisexual, transsexual and intersexual people." He states that, through its pastoral leaders, the Catholic church "persecutes" LGBTI human beings, causing them and their families "unspeakable suffering" and making their lives "hell."

Monsignor Krzysztof Charamsa to The Guardian — Pope Francis's View of Catholic Discussion of LGBT Issues and Lives: "This Is Not for This Moment"

Again, many thanks to all of you for your many valuable comments here that have gone unacknowledged as I've been traveling for several days. This morning, I want to share a link that Chris Morley kindly provided in a comment here yesterday. As he notes, The Guardian has just published an article by Stephanie Kirchgaessner about Monsignor Krzysztof Charamsa, the Polish priest and Vatican official who was expeditiously defrocked after he came of the closet as gay right before the synod on the family convened.

Krzysztof Charamsa on Pedophile Lobby in the Vatican and the Logic of the Church: Who's Welcome in the Catholic Community, and Who Is Not Welcome

As Chris pointed out in a comment here yesterday, in a section of his Religión Digital interview with the defrocked gay priest and Vatican employee Monsignor Krzysztof Charamsa, journalist José Manuel Vidal asks Msgr. Charamsa about what seems to be a glaring discrepancy between the alacrity with which Catholic officials defrock a priest who comes out of the closet, and their ability to tolerate (and hide) a pedophile priest for years. Brittmarie Janson Perez has sent me a translation of that section of the interview, which I'd like to share with you this morning.

Religión Digital Publishes Interview with Monsignor Krzysztof Charamsa: "The Church Preaches Mercy, But Does It Not Keep on Persecuting Homosexuals?"

Yesterday, the Spanish journal Religión Digital published an interview with the gay Polish priest who came out of the closet in a public way prior to the synod on the family — Monsignor Krzysztof Charamsa. Those following this story will know that Msgr. Charamsa was quickly defrocked by his bishop (in sharp contrast to the many priests who have abused minors and have been permitted to remain in ministry, have been moved about from parish to parish and hidden from public scrutiny).

The Telenovela Continues: Gay Vatican Official Comes Out and Is Sacked in Advance of Synod on the Family

OMG. Did someone say head-turners? (Yes, I'm between popcorn runs, and very glad I bought in a big new supply of popcorn today, because it looks like the telenovela is only going to get, well, more hilarious and dramatic, steamier and more engrossing in the build-up to the Synod on the Family.)