Pope Francis issued an apology following reports that he used an offensive term referring to LGBTQ individuals during a closed-door meeting with Italian bishops. The incident drew widespread headlines and concern from both LGBTQ groups and practicing Catholics around the world.During a meeting with over 250 bishops, the 87-year-old pontiff reportedly used a derogatory term while expressing his opposition to openly homosexual men joining seminaries, even if they committed to celibacy. According to two Italian newspapers, Pope Francis remarked that there was already too much “frociaggine” in seminaries, a Roman slang term translating to “faggotry.”
The Vatican released a statement saying, “The pope never intended to offend or express himself in homophobic terms and he extends his apologies to those who felt offended by the use of a term reported by others.” While the statement did not confirm the specific term used, it addressed the newspaper articles and emphasized the pope’s inclusive stance.Some commentators speculated that Pope Francis, being Argentine, might not have fully understood the offensive nature of the term. The Vatican reiterated the pope’s message of inclusivity, quoting him: “As he has stated on several occasions: ‘In the Church, there is room for everyone, everyone! Nobody is useless, nobody is superfluous. There is space for everyone, just as we are, all of us.”
