Pope Francis apologized Tuesday after he was quoted using a vulgar and derogatory term about gay men to reaffirm the Catholic Church’s ban on gay priests, UNN reports citing AP.
Details
Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni issued a statement acknowledging the media storm that erupted over Francis' comments made behind closed doors to Italian bishops on May 20.
Italian media on Monday quoted unnamed Italian bishops as saying that Francis jokingly used the vulgar term while speaking Italian during a meeting. He used the term while reaffirming the Vatican's ban on allowing gays to enter seminaries and be ordained as priests.
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Bruni said Francis was aware of these reports and recalled that the Argentine-born pontiff, who has made working with LGBTQ+ Catholics a hallmark of his papacy, has long insisted that there is "room for everyone" in the Catholic Church.
"The Pope never intended to offend or speak in homophobic terms, and he apologizes to those who were offended by the use of the term reported by others," Bruni said.
In his statement, Bruni carefully avoided directly confirming that the Pope had indeed used the term, in keeping with the Vatican's tradition of not revealing what the Pope says behind closed doors. But Bruni also did not deny what Francis said.
Addendum
Italian is not Francis' native language, and in the past the Pope has made linguistic mistakes that have caused surprise. According to the AP, the 87-year-old pontiff often speaks informally or jokes using slang.