Pope Francis apologizes for using homophobic slurs while saying ‘no’ to gay priests

[mwai_chat context=”Let’s have a discussion about this article:nnVATICAN CITY (RNS) — During a closed-door meeting with 200 Italian bishops last week, Pope Francis allegedly used derogatory terms to describe gay people during debates about whether the Italian church should allow gay men to enter the seminary.According to local reports, the Argentine pope said “there is already enough faggotry” in Catholic seminaries, in his speech to prelates on May 20. The pope used the Italian term “frociaggine,” a rarely used slur to describe flamboyant gay attitudes. Francis allegedly also used other disparaging words to describe gays.
“The pope never meant to offend or express himself with homophobic terms, and he issues his most sincere apologies to all those who felt offended by the use of a term reported by others,” read a statement by Vatican spokesperson Matteo Bruni on Tuesday (May 28).
The Vatican did not deny that the pope used those terms and offered no clarification on who were the “others” who reported the pope’s words.
The statement clarified that the pope is aware of the news reports regarding his private meeting with the Italian bishops and that Francis wants to reiterate his belief that “in the church there is place for everyone, for everyone! No one is useless, no one is su …nnDiscussion:nn” ai_name=”RocketNews AI: ” start_sentence=”Can I tell you more about this article?” text_input_placeholder=”Type ‘Yes'”]