He took a courageous stand

Priest who spoke against gay marriage ban suspended

It's not surprising that he's been suspended. There is a growing toughness in the way the Church authorities are dealing with the gay issue in the Catholic Church. Under the previous Pope the issue, while still based on Church teaching, was to love the individuals. The current method is more rule-bound and harsh - remove the individuals. I'm not sure St. Francis would have approved of the new methods...