Italian media reported on Monday that Pope Francis used highly derogatory terms towards the LGBT community during a closed-door meeting with Italian bishops, where he reiterated that gay people should not be allowed to become priests.
Pope Francis, 87 years old, has been widely acknowledged for steering the Roman Catholic Church towards a more inclusive and accepting stance regarding the LGBT community. His leadership has marked a significant shift in the Church’s approach, emphasizing compassion and outreach to historically marginalized individuals.
La Repubblica and Corriere della Sera, Italy’s largest circulation dailies, both quoted the pope as saying seminaries, or priesthood colleges, are already too full of “frociaggine”, a vulgar Italian term roughly translating as “faggottness”.
The Vatican did not reply to a request for comment. La Repubblica based its story on various unnamed sources. At the same time, Corriere claimed it was corroborated by a few anonymous bishops who suggested that the pope, being Argentine, might not have realized that the Italian term he used was offensive.
He conveyed a similar message regarding gay seminarians—without the reported profanity—when he met with Italian bishops in 2018, urging them to thoroughly vet priesthood candidates and reject any who were suspected of being homosexual.
In 2013, early in his papacy, he famously stated, “If a person is gay and seeks God and has good will, who am I to judge?” Last year, he permitted priests to bless members of same-sex couples, which led to significant backlash from conservative circles.
In 2005, under Pope Benedict XVI, the Vatican stated that the Church could admit individuals into the priesthood if they had overcome homosexual tendencies for at least three years. The document excluded practicing homosexuals, those with “deep-seated” homosexual tendencies, and supporters of “gay culture.”
The political gossip site Dagospia was the first to break the news of the alleged incident, which reportedly occurred on May 20. This coincided with the Italian Bishops Conference’s four-day assembly, which began with a private meeting with the pope.