An Italian monsignor has been suspended from a senior position at the Holy See, the Vatican said on Saturday, identifying him as a priest who was anonymously interviewed about his gay sex life on a TV program. Vatican teaching holds that homosexual activity is a sin. Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, told journalists that while the case was under investigation the monsignor was suspended from his job as a top official in the Vatican's Congregation for Clergy, an office that aims to ensure proper conduct by priests. The Vatican did not give out the name of the monsignor, who is Italian.
"The case is being handled with utmost reserve," Lombardi said. "Higher-ups are evaluating the situation with the necessary reserve and with the obligatory respect for the person involved, even if this person has erred," Lombardi said.