A former Vatican
official, who was stripped of his post early this month after
acknowledging publicly that he was gay and in a relationship, on
Wednesday renewed his criticism of the Roman Catholic church, accusing
it of homophobia.
The official, the Rev. Krzysztof Charamsa, made public a letter that he had sent to Pope Francis,
dated Oct. 3, in which he denounced the church, saying that it had made
the lives of gay and transgender people “a hell.” He wrote that the
church had persecuted gay Catholics and had caused them and their
families “immeasurable suffering.”