The French government is refusing to back down over its nomination of an openly gay man as ambassador to the Vatican.
The papal state has delayed the confirmation of Laurent Stéfanini as French ambassador for the past three months.
The nomination was put forward by the French government in January, but there has been no response from the Vatican - and the country is said to not issue a public statement when a candidate is rejected.
French and Italian media has speculated that the failure to confirm the French diplomat could be a result of his sexuality or public support for same-sex marriage.
55-year-old Mr Stéfanini - a diplomat and President Francois Hollande's chief of protocol - is a practising Catholic.
A source in Rome told AFP that "a delay of three months like this is not normal... The reply normally doesn't take more than a month, a month and a half."
