Pope Francis has apologized following reports that he used extremely offensive language towards gay men.
A statement from the Vatican said the Pope did not mean to offend anyone and apologized to those “hurt by his words”.
At the Italian Bishops’ Conference, the Pope is reported to have said that gay men should not be allowed to train to become priests, adding that there was a climate of discontent. Frociagginetranslated as a highly offensive slur.
This meeting took place privately but was widely reported.
The statement quoted the Prefect of the Holy See – the governing body of the Catholic Church – Matteo Bruni, as saying: “Pope Francis is aware of the articles recently published regarding his conversation with bishops… behind closed doors”.
The Pope’s reported comments were first relayed to the Italian tabloid website Dagospia, and were quickly confirmed by other Italian news outlets.
There was shock at the language reported, especially as Pope Francis often speaks publicly about respecting gay people.
“Like him,” Mr. Bruni said [the Pope] has repeatedly declared: ‘In the Church there is always room for everyone, everyone! No one is useless or redundant, there is room for everyone, just like us.”
“The Pope never intended to offend or use homophobic language, and apologizes to all those who felt offended. [or] wounded by the use of a word,” Mr. Bruni concluded in the Vatican statement.
The Pope’s liberal supporters have long argued that while there has been little apparent change on gay rights within Catholicism, he has changed the tone of the Church’s attitude.
When asked about gay people early in his papacy, he attracted attention when he replied: “Who am I to judge?”
He recently created consternation among traditional Catholics by saying that priests can bless same-sex unions in some cases and has frequently talked about gay people being allowed to marry. welcome in the Church.
Defenders of the Spanish-speaking Pope point out that he sometimes makes mistakes in colloquial Italian and claim that he does not appreciate the level of offense he may have caused, even though he grew up in an Italian-speaking family in Argentina.
But the head of the Catholic LGBT rights group DignityUSA, Marianne Duddy-Burke, called the reported comments “shocking and hurtful,” especially to gay priests who have served “God’s people in such a way loyal and good”.
“Unfortunately, even if intended as a joke, the Pope’s comments show the depth of anti-gay bias and institutional discrimination,” she told Reuters news agency. still exists in our church.”
