Pope Francis has reportedly rejected an openly gay Frenchman as the country's new ambassador to the Vatican.

Laurent Stefanini was nominated for the position in early January, but has not been confirmed.

Stefanini served as the chief of protocol to French President Francois Hollande, and is a senior diplomat. He was second in command in the French embassy at the Vatican from 2001 to 2005.

The 54-year-old's nomination has received backing from Cardinal Andre Vingt-Trois of Paris and Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, the former Vatican foreign minister and president of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue.

The Elysee called Stefanini's nomination "a wish by the president and a cabinet decision," and said that Hollande considered him "one of our best diplomats."

The Vatican normally takes about six weeks to confirm nominations, and silence following that period is considered a rejection. A Vatican source allegedly told Le Journal du Dimanche that the rejection was "a decision taken by the pope himself."

The Telegraph noted that a gay ambassador to the Vatican was nominated in 2007, but also ignored by the Church.

Francis is considered one of the most liberal popes, and has urged LGBT tolerance throughout his pontificate.

He has warned against having a "prejudiced mentality" that marginalises others, and famously quipped "Who am I to judge?" when asked about homosexuality in a 2013 press conference.

The pontiff has also said that the Church should support families of gays, and had lunch with gay and transgender inmates during a trip to the Giuseppe Salvia Detention Center in Poggiorale, Italy last month.

However, Francis has affirmed the Church's stance that homosexuality is a sin and calls himself a "son of the church."

"I'm not one to change doctrine," Francis said, according to Louisville Archbishop and US Conference of Catholics President Joseph Kurtz. "I know there's something beautiful in the doctrine, and in the truth of Christ, but in doing that, wasn't it Jesus who saw the person first in front?"

No statements have been released regarding Stefanini's nomination.