Pope used vulgar Italian word to refer to LGBT people, Italian newspapers report

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – Pope Francis used a highly derogatory term towards the LGBT community when reiterating in a closed-door meeting with Italian bishops that gays should not be allowed to become priests, Italian media reported on Monday .

La Repubblica and Corriere della Sera, Italy’s largest-circulation daily newspapers, quoted the pope as saying that seminaries, or priestly colleges, are already too full of “frociaggine,” a vulgar Italian term that roughly translates as “faggot.” .

The Vatican did not respond to a request for comment.

La Repubblica attributed its story to several unspecified sources, while Corriere said it was supported by some unnamed bishops, who suggested that the pope, as an Argentine, might not have realized that the Italian term he used was offensive.

Political gossip website Dagospia was the first to report the alleged incident, which reportedly happened on May 20, when the Italian Bishops’ Conference opened a four-day assembly with a private meeting with the pontiff.

Until now, Francis, 87, has been credited with leading the Roman Catholic Church in adopting a more welcoming approach toward the LGBT community.

In 2013, at the beginning of his papacy, he famously said: “If a person is gay and seeks God and has good will, who am I to judge?”, while last year he allowed priests to bless members of married couples of the same sex. , triggering a substantial conservative backlash.

However, he delivered a similar message about gay seminarians – without the alleged profanity – when he met with Italian bishops in 2018, telling them to carefully vet candidates for the priesthood and reject any suspicions of being homosexual.

In a 2005 document released by Francis’ late predecessor, Benedict XVI, the Vatican said the Church could admit to the priesthood those who had clearly overcome homosexual tendencies for at least three years.

The document states that practicing homosexuals and those with “deep” gay tendencies and those who “support so-called gay culture” should be banned.

(Reporting by Alvise Armellini; Editing by Jonathan Oatis)