In January, President Francois Hollande named Laurent Stefani as ambassador to the Holy See.

The Vatican did not accept his credentials, but did not explicitly reject him.

Mr Stefani, who is President Hollande's chief of protocol, had been France's second-in-command at its Vatican embassy between 2001 and 2005.

Mr Stefani's appointment as ambassador to the Vatican was reportedly supported by the Archbishop of Paris, Cardinal Andre Vingt-Trois.

Now sources at the Élysée Palace have told French daily Libération that President Hollande had given up his efforts over the Stefanini appointment.

"It's dead," a source was quoted as saying.

Officially, Élysée Palace and Vatican officials declined to comment on the reports.

According to Libération, President Hollande is not expected to put forward another candidate for the Vatican post before the next French presidential election in 2017.

A report in the French Le Canard Enchainé in April claimed that Pope Francis had a "very discreet" meeting with Mr Stefanini.

At this meeting, the Pontiff reportedly said his objection to the appointment was not personal, but an indication of the Vatican's disapproval of France's 2013 gay marriage law.

Philippe Levillain, a papal specialist and French historian, told media the Vatican did not want to be seen as homophobic.

"There's a flagrant contradiction between the openness Pope Francis is showing towards homosexuals and the refusal to accept Laurent Stefanini's nomination. It's not a very charitable attitude," Mr Levillain said.

Sources

• The Guardian
• Image: Italian Insider

Laurent Stefanini, a close aide of French President Francois Hollande, was nominated in early January.

According to The Telegraph in London, the usual time frame for official acceptance is a month and a half.

After that, a prolonged silence from the Vatican is normally interpreted as a rejection.

France's previous ambassador to the Holy See stepped down a month ago.

French and Italian media widely reported that Mr Stefanini, a practising Catholic, has been blackballed due to his homosexuality.

According to a report in the Vatican Insider, Mr Stéfanini was invited to a meeting with the apostolic nuncio in Paris, Archbishop Luigi Ventura, on February 5.

There, he was informally asked to step aside and renounce his nomination because of his sexual orientation.

Some reports have stated that the decision not to accept the nomination was taken by Pope Francis himself.

Observers reportedly said the Pope cannot be seen to be adopting an overly gay-friendly approach as this would shock conservatives in the Church.

Mr Stefanini served as number two in the French embassy at the Vatican from 2001 to 2005.

He is highly regarded in Roman circles and is very discreet about his private life, said Antoine-Marie Izoard, a Vatican specialist with the I-Media press agency.

Cardinal Andre Vingt-Trois of Paris reportedly interceded personally with the Pope to back Mr Stefanini's nomination.

The president of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, also reportedly supports the Stefanini appointment.

The Elysee Palace stated that the French president regards Mr Stefanini as one of the nation's best diplomats.

In 2007, France nominated a gay man, who had a partner recognised under French law, as ambassador to the Vatican.

But the Holy See never responded to that nomination.

Sources

• The Telegraph
• The Guardian
• Out
• Huffington Post
• Image: Out