Pope Francis ‘repeats gay slur’ just weeks after being forced to apologise for saying there was ‘an air of f*****ry’ in the church

Pope Francis has reportedly used a homophobic term again weeks after apologising for saying gay men should not be admitted to church seminaries because ‘there’s already too much f*****ry’ in a closed-door meeting.

 

 

He used of the word ‘frociaggine’, a vulgar Italian term roughly translating as ‘f*****ness’, on May 20 during a closed-door meeting with Italian bishops.

 

 

According to Italian news agency ANSA, Pope Francis, 87, repeated the term on Tuesday, June 11, as he met Roman priests, saying ‘there is an air of f*****ness in the Vatican’.

 

 

He added that it was better that young men with a homosexual tendency not be allowed to enter the seminary – a college that trains students to become priests.

 

 

Asked about the latest report, the Vatican’s press office made reference to a statement it had issued regarding Tuesday’s meeting with the priests, in which the pope reiterated the need to welcome gay people into the Church and the need for caution regarding them becoming seminarians.

 

 

After the first report of him using the word, Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera quoted unnamed bishops who were in the room as suggesting that the pope, as an Argentine, might not have realised that the Italian term he used was offensive.

 

 

The Pope had been credited with making substantial moves towards being more welcoming of the LGBT+ community during his 11-year papacy. 

 

 

In May, Italian news agency Adnkronos, citing sources, reported that the Pope said in his speech: ‘Look, there is already an air of f*****ry around that is not good. There is today’s culture of homosexuality with respect to those who have a homosexual orientation [who] are better off not being accepted [into the seminary].’

 

 

The remark was met with ‘incredulous laughter’, bishops told newspaper Corriere della Sera, but represents a huge step back for campaigners after prolonged efforts to reform the church’s position on LGBTQ+ rights.

 

 

The Pope apologised the following week, with the Vatican releasing a statement that said: ‘The Pope never intended to offend or express himself in homophobic terms, and he apologises to those who felt offended by the use of a term reported by others.’