Pope Francis has allegedly used derogatory words against gay men during a closed-door discussion with Italian bishops last week.
Italian media reported Monday that the Pontiff, who in public had expressed sympathetic views on the LGBTQ+ community, made the comment at a bishops conference on May 20, where admission of homosexual men into the seminaries was discussed. Pope Francis allegedly used an Italian slur word “faggotness” to describe gay men.
The Pope according to reports left his audience amazed with his remark as he reiterated that gay men should not be allowed to train in seminaries as priests, according to Italian media, which said that his use of the slur left some in the audience surprised given the pope’s track record of a more welcoming approach toward the
The political gossip website Dagospia appears to have been the first to report on the alleged incident, citing multiple “shocked” bishops who took part in the bishop conference.
One of Italy’s largest newspapers, Corriere della Sera, quoted several unnamed bishops suggesting that the pope may not have been aware of how offensive the word is in Italian.
Vatican veteran reporter and author Gerry O’Connell also suggested that the pope’s remark was “a gaffe on the part of the pope, rather than a slur,” as a nonnative Italian speaker.
Last December, he formally approved allowing priests to bless same-sex couples because people seeking God’s love and mercy shouldn’t be subject to “an exhaustive moral analysis” to receive it.
Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni issued a statement Tuesday acknowledging the media storm that erupted about Francis’ comments.
“The pope never intended to offend or express himself in homophobic terms, and he extends his apologies to those who were offended by the use of a term that was reported by others,” Bruni said.
