Pope Francis ‘used homophobic slur’ during closed-door meeting about training gay priests
28 May 2024, 07:42
Pope Francis is alleged to have used a homophobic slur during a closed-door meeting with bishops.
Listen to this article
Loading audio...
During a discussion at the Italian Bishops’ Conference, the Pope was asked if gay men should be allowed to train for priesthood if they remained celibate, to which he said they should not.
He reportedly said that while it was important to embrace everyone, it could risk the gay person leading a double life.
The 87-year-old then allegedly said there was already too much frociaggine in some seminaries, an offensive Italian slur which roughly translates to “f****tness”.
The meeting took place in Rome last week but was first reported by Italian tabloid news website Dasgopia on Monday.
His comment was reportedly met with “incredulous laughter”, bishops told local paper Corriere della Sera.
Other news agencies have since reiterated the Pope’s wording, citing different sources.
Read more: 'Mentor, Queen': Tributes pour in for professional horse rider, 37, after death in shock accident
The reports have resulted in a great deal of shock among some, as the Pope has been regarded for having a more progressive public opinion of gay rights compared to his predecessors.
He hit headlines early in his papacy after he was asked about gay people, to which he replied: “Who am I to judge?”
And last year, he described laws that criminalise homosexuality as a “sin” and “injustice”.
More recently, he said priests should be able to bless same-sex couples in some circumstances, in which a Vatican document stipulated that people seeking God’s love and mercy shouldn’t be subject to “an exhaustive moral analysis” to receive it.
The Vatican has not yet commented on the reports.
