Pope Francis apologises for making homophobic slur in a closed-door meeting

 

Pope Francis has issued an apology in response to allegations of his use of extremely derogatory language directed towards gay men.

A statement from the Vatican said that the Pope’s intention was not to cause offence and expressed regret to individuals who were “hurt by the use of a word”.

Reports indicate that during a gathering at the Italian Bishops’ Conference, the Pope suggested that gay men should not be permitted to train for the priesthood, adding there was already an air of frociaggine, which translates as a highly offensive slur.

Although the discussion took place in a private setting, it garnered attention through widespread media coverage. 

“Pope Francis is aware of the articles that have come out recently concerning a conversation he had with bishops... behind closed doors,” the statement quoted the director of the Holy See – the Catholic Church’s governing body - Matteo Bruni, as saying.

According to a report in The Guardian, multiple Italian media outlets have claimed that the Pope used the term “frociaggine”— a vulgar Italian word roughly translating to ‘faggotness’ — while reiterating his opposition to admitting gay men to Catholic seminaries. The Pope made the remark while stating that although it is important to embrace everyone, there is already too much “frociaggine” in some seminaries.

The Pope’s reported comments were initially communicated to the Italian tabloid website Dagospia and subsequently corroborated by other Italian news agencies. 

There has been shock at the reported language, particularly given Pope Francis’s frequent public expressions of respect towards individuals within the LGBTQ+ community.

“As he [the Pope] has stated on more than one occasion, ‘In the Church there is room for everyone, everyone! Nobody is useless or superfluous, there is room for everyone, just the way we are’,” Bruni said.

“The Pope never meant to offend or to use homophobic language, and apologises to everyone who felt offended [or] hurt by the use of a word,” Bruni added.