VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – Italian media reported Pope Francis using a highly derogatory term toward the LGBT community. He reiterated in a closed-door meeting with Italian bishops that gay people should not become priests.
La Repubblica and Corriere della Sera, Italy’s largest circulation dailies, both quoted the pope as saying seminaries, or priesthood colleges, are already too full of “frociaggine”, a vulgar Italian term roughly translating as “faggotness”.
The Vatican did not respond to a request for comment.
La Repubblica’s story was attributed to unspecified sources. Corriere claimed support from unnamed bishops who suggested the pope, being Argentine, might not have realized the term’s offensiveness.
Political gossip website Dagospia was the first to report on the alleged incident, said to have happened on May 20, when the Italian Bishops Conference opened a four-day assembly with a non-public meeting with the pontiff.
Francis, who is 87, has so far been credited with leading the Roman Catholic Church into taking a more welcoming approach towards the LGBT community.
In 2013, at the start of his papacy, he famously said, “If a person is gay and seeks God and has good will, who am I to judge?”, while last year he allowed priests to bless members of same-sex couples, triggering substantial conservative backlash.
The reported remarks about Pope vulgar Italian come amid ongoing debates within the Catholic Church about LGBTQ+ rights.
The Pope’s alleged use of derogatory language has prompted discussions about the Church’s stance on LGBTQ+ issues. Some observers see it as a setback for efforts to promote acceptance and tolerance within the Catholic community. Others hope it will lead to meaningful dialogue and reflection within the Church.
Regardless, the incident underscores the importance of respectful and inclusive language in religious discourse.
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