ROME — Pope Francis on Tuesday reiterated his opposition to gay priests, allegedly repeating a highly pejorative slur in an encounter with clerics just two weeks after the Vatican issued an apology amid reports that he had used the same word in an earlier meeting with bishops.
[Those who use terms such as “highly pejorative slur” may also be offended by pancake syrup. The word used by the pope is frociaggine, a common Italian word for homosexuals; its use is widespread throughout Italy. – HEADLINE HEALTH]
Francis reportedly repeated the [so-called] slur in a meeting with 200 priests at Rome’s Salesian Pontifical University, according to major Italian outlets. The Vatican, in a statement, did not mention use of the word, but said that the pontiff had spoken of the “danger of ideologies in the Church.”
The Vatican said the pope “reiterated the need to welcome and accompany gay men in the Church,” but had called for prudence regarding their entry to the priesthood.
The 87-year-old pontiff has previously made landmark statements in support of same-sex civil unions, conducted LGBTQ+ outreach, and last year approved short blessings for same-sex couples by Catholic priests.
[Pope Francis did not say that he “supports” same-sex civil unions; he said that since homosexuals will not be permitted to marry in the Catholic Church, pursuing a lawful civil union is the only course open to them.]
But Francis, who famously said “who am I to judge” when asked about gay priests shortly after becoming pope in 2013, has also expressed caution about admitting homosexual men to seminaries.
He has essentially backed a 2005 Vatican ruling that “homosexual candidates cannot become priests because their sexual orientation estranges them from the proper sense of paternity.”
Major Italian media outlets — including Corriere della Serra, La Republica and ANSA — reported that the pope during Tuesday’s meeting also repeated the word “frociaggine,” which in the Roman Italian dialect roughly translates as “faggotness”.
[There is no such word as faggotness in the English language. – HEADLINE HEALTH]
Two weeks ago, a senior Vatican official confirmed to The Washington Post that the pope had used the same word in a different, May 20 meeting with bishops.
Eight days after that meeting, and after reports that the pope had used the slur in the Italian press, the Vatican offered a rare apology.
Without confirming that the pope had used the word, the Vatican then said “the Pope never intended to offend or express himself in homophobic terms and he apologizes to those who felt offended by the use of a term reported by others” …
