The Vatican said on Tuesday that Pope Francis “extends his apologies” after reports that he used an anti-gay slur referring to gay men at a behind-closed-doors meeting with Italian bishops last week.
Breaking News: Pope Francis apologized after reports said he had used a slur referring to gay men at a private meeting. https://t.co/I9KewtOa2H
— The New York Times (@nytimes) May 28, 2024
From the New York Times:
Francis had been taking questions from the bishops at their annual assembly when the question of whether to admit openly gay men into seminaries or priesthood colleges came up.
According to several people present at the meeting, who spoke anonymously to Italian news outlets, Francis stated a firm no, saying that seminaries were already too full of “frociaggine,” an offensive Italian slang term referring to gay men.
According to reports, the Italian word “frociaggine” roughly translates as “faggotness” or “being a faggot.” Ironically, Francis has been credited with pushing the church to be more inclusive regarding the LGBTQ community. Matteo Bruni, the press office director for the Holy See, said in a statement today:
“Pope Francis is aware of articles that recently came out about a conversation behind closed doors. 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 reported by others.”
Religious leaders, especially the Pope, hold a position of immense influence. Their words carry tremendous and terrifying weight. The use of homophobic language as deeply offensive as ‘frociaggine’ (‘faggotness’) sends a dangerous message. Truly awful. https://t.co/GOSISGsNHT
— LGBT Humanists (@LGBTHumanistsUK) May 28, 2024
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