Pope Francis recently came under fire for using a derogatory term for the LGBT community during a private meeting with Italian bishops, where he reiterated that homosexuals should not be allowed to become priests.
During the closed-door meeting with Italian bishops, Pope Francis used a highly offensive term towards the LGBT community, insisting that homosexuals should not be admitted to the priesthood, stating that seminaries are already full of “fa**otness” according to the closest translation.
The political gossip website Dagospia first reported the alleged incident, which took place on May 20, during the opening of a four-day assembly by the Italian Episcopal Conference. The event included a private meeting with the Pope.
Corriere della Sera reported that bishops contacted by the newspaper indicated the Pope was likely unaware of how insulting his words were in Italian. The main Italian daily noted that the Pope’s native language is not Italian, suggesting his blunder was clear to those present, who responded with some incredulous laughter.
La Reppublica recalled that Pope Francis has always advocated for an inclusive Church, welcoming everyone regardless of their sexual orientation. However, in the meeting, he insisted on barring openly homosexual individuals from entering seminaries.
The Response
Pope Francis has since apologized for his comments about the “gay atmosphere” in seminaries, made on May 20 during a private meeting with about 230 Italian bishops in the Vatican’s Synod Hall. The pontiff asked the prelates not to admit homosexuals to seminaries.
Bruni explained that Francis is “aware of the recently published articles about a private conversation with the bishops of the Italian Episcopal Conference (CEI).”
According to reconstructions by Repubblica and Corriere della Sera, Francis, whose native language is Spanish, not Italian, and who often uses colloquial language in conversation, surprised the bishops by using the Italian word “frociaggine,” a derogatory term for homosexuals that could translate to “gay atmosphere” in Italian.
Nevertheless, the Pope emphasized that “there is a place for everyone in the Church—everyone! ‘No one is useless, no one is superfluous; there is room for everyone.’ ‘As we are, all of us,’” as stated in the Vatican’s communiqué.
This indicates that the Pope was not aware of the offensive nature of the word. Similarly, Corriere della Sera cited several bishops who felt the Pope’s statement was met with some incredulous laughter, as it was evident that he was unaware of how offensive the term is in Italian.
However, the Pope’s comments align with the Vatican’s official stance since 2005, when the Congregation for Catholic Education, approved by then-Pope Benedict XVI, issued a document on the matter. The document, titled “Instruction Concerning the Criteria for the Discernment of Vocations with regard to Persons with Homosexual Tendencies in view of their Admission to the Seminary and to Holy Orders,” stated that “the Church cannot admit to the seminary and holy orders those who practice homosexuality, present deeply rooted homosexual tendencies, or support the so-called ‘gay culture.” This position was reaffirmed by Pope Francis in 2016.
