The Vatican has fired a high-ranking Polish priest after he came out as gay on the eve of a key meeting of world bishops to discuss topics including homosexuality. Monsignor Krzysztof Charamsa said coming out was a difficult decision within the Catholic Church, which opposes homosexuality.

Monsignor Krzysztof Charamsa: “My decision to 'come out' is a very personal decision in the homophobic world of the Catholic Church. It has been very difficult and very hard. I ask that you keep in mind this reality that is difficult to understand for anyone who has not lived through an identical passage in their own life.”

The Vatican’s decision to fire Charamsa comes after Pope Francis’ visit to the United States, where he drew criticism for meeting with Kim Davis, the county clerk in Kentucky who has refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. But the Vatican now says Davis was among “several dozen invited by the Nunciature” to greet Pope Francis as he arrived and that the meeting “should not be considered a form of support of her position in all of its particular and complex aspects.” The Vatican said the only “real audience” granted by Francis was with a former student, whom CNN identified as Yayo Grassi, an openly gay man who brought his partner to the meeting with the pope.