THE GUARDIAN
Pope Francis is alleged to have told a group of young priests that “gossip is a women’s thing”, two days after he apologised for using a homophobic slur.
The remark was allegedly made during a closed-door meeting on Thursday with a group of newly ordained priests in Rome, according to a story published on Il Silere Non Possum, a website dedicated to Vatican news, and then reported by several mainstream Italian newspapers and news agencies.
The pontiff, 87, is reported to have advised the priests against “badmouthing” in parishes and congregations, before allegedly saying: “Gossip is a women’s thing.” He is alleged to have added: “We wear the trousers, we have to say things.”
Marco Perfetti, the director of Il Silere Non Possum, said the site had audio of the discussion, which he claimed was recorded by more than one participant at the event and backed up by sources. “We have the recording of the pope saying this,” he said.
