Pope Francis Under Fire for Using Vulgar Term

(HorizonPost.com) – Pope Francis allegedly used an Italian slur for gay men during a closed-door meeting with Italian bishops last week.

Italy’s largest daily papers claimed that while discussing Catholic seminaries, the pope allegedly suggested that seminaries were already full of “frociaggine,” a term that roughly translates as “faggotness.”

The pontiff and the Italian bishops were allegedly discussing the possibility of allowing homosexuals to attend seminaries when the pope used the Italian slur, sources told the papers.

Francis also reiterated his opposition to gay men entering the priesthood.

The sources who claimed the pope used the Italian slur said the remark caught the bishops off guard given the pontiff’s more welcoming attitude toward gay Catholics.

The alleged incident prompted the Vatican to release a statement on Tuesday, acknowledging that Pope Francis was aware of the reports in the Italian press about his closed-door meeting on May 20.

Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni reiterated in the statement that the pope believed that there was “room for everyone” in the Catholic Church and never intended to “express himself in homophobic terms” or offend anyone.

Bruni said the pope apologized to those who took offense to the term that was “reported by others.”

Some of the bishops told the Italian press that they did not think that Pope Francis was aware that the Italian word was offensive.

Veteran Vatican reporter Gerry O’Connell described the pope’s use of the word as more of a gaffe than a slur, explaining that Pope Francis is not a native-speaking Italian.

Pope Francis has ruffled feathers among more conservative bishops, especially in the United States, over his more welcoming and accepting views on LGBT issues, as well as his support for women in the Church, his position on migrants, and his Climate Change advocacy.

In a recent interview with “60 Minutes,” the pope accused conservative Catholics of having a “suicidal attitude” for not knowing the difference between tradition and staying “closed up inside a dogmatic box.”