Pope Francis has apologized after he was quoted using a vulgar term about gay men to reaffirm the Catholic Church’s ban on gay priests.
Pope Francis issued an apology on Tuesday after being quoted using a vulgar and derogatory term about gay men while reaffirming the Catholic Church’s ban on gay priests. The comments, which were made behind closed doors to Italian bishops on May 20, sparked significant controversy once they were reported by the media.
Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni acknowledged the uproar and clarified the situation in a statement. According to reports, Francis had used the term “faggotness” in a joking manner while speaking in Italian, reiterating the Vatican’s stance against allowing gay men to enter seminaries and be ordained as priests. The Vatican’s acknowledgment comes as part of efforts to address the backlash and reaffirm the Church’s commitment to respect and dignity for all individuals.
“The pope never intended to offend or express himself in homophobic terms, and he extends his apologies to those who were offended by the use of a term that was reported by others,” Bruni said.
With the statement, Bruni carefully avoided an outright confirmation 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 didn’t deny that Francis had used the term and acknowledged that some people had been offended by it.
