Pope apologizes for using homophobic Italian slur to bar gay men from priesthood

It seems even the pope isn’t immune from using a little blue language — even if it is in Latin — to describe the sexual preferences of his contemporaries.That’s because the Vatican was forced to issue an apology after Pope Francis reportedly used an off-colour Italian word during a discussion over admitting openly gay men into the seminary.Italian press reported on Monday that the Pontiff complained there was already too much “frociaggine” in some seminaries. The Italian word roughly translates as “fa----ness” In English..“In our societies it even seems that homosexuality is fashionable, and that mentality, in some way, also influences the life of the church,”Pope Francis.Vatican press secretary Matteo Bruni said Francis was aware of the newspaper reports about the closed-door conversation and “apologises to those who felt offended by the use of the term, reported by others.”“As he stated on several occasions, ‘In the church there is room for everyone, for everyone. Nobody is useless, nobody is superfluous, there is room for everyone. Just as we are, all of us,’” said Bruni. “The pope never intended to offend or express himself in homophobic terms, and apologizes to those who felt offended by the use of a term, reported by others.”The conversation in question reportedly took place during an assembly of the Italian bishops conference (CEI), to discuss the question of whether gay men should be admitted to Catholic seminaries.The story was reported by the political gossip website Dagospia, before being covered by the Italian dailies La Repubblica, Corriere della Sera, and the news agency Adnkronos..The pope reportedly reiterated his objection to admitting openly gay men, insisting that it was likely that a gay person could risk leading a double life. He is then alleged to have used the offensive word to describe his opposition, which some described as “a joke.” Some bishops said he may not have been aware that the term was offensive.The irony is that Francis has sought to adopt a more inclusive tone toward sexual minorities in general, to the disdain of hardcore conservatives, infamously saying “who am I to judge?” when it came to the issue of gay people in the church..He has been less tolerant of gay priests.In December of last year, he approved a ruling allowing priests to bless unmarried and same-sex couples, which was seen as a significant change of the church’s tradition position on marriage.However, he has been clear about not allowing gay people to join the clergy. In 2018 he said he was “concerned” about the infiltration of “gay culture” into church life. A 2016 decree on training for priests emphasized sexual abstinence as well as barring gay men from holy orders, a position which has not changed.“In our societies it even seems that homosexuality is fashionable, and that mentality, in some way, also influences the life of the church,” he said at the time.The ban on gay priests — even those who take a vow of celibacy — extends back to 1961.In 2005, the Church clarified that men with "deeply rooted homosexual tendencies" could not be ordained; the Vatican followed up in 2008 with a directive to implement psychological screening for candidates for the priesthood. .Conditions listed for exclusion from the priesthood include "uncertain sexual identity" and "deep-seated homosexual tendencies."