Pope Francis has apologized after accusations surfaced that he used extremely harsh words regarding gay persons.
According to a Vatican statement, the Pope had no intention of offending anyone and apologized to those who were hurt by the use of a word.
At the Italian Bishops’ Conference, the pope reportedly stated that gay persons should not be permitted to train for the priesthood and that there was already an aura of frociaggine, which translates as a highly insulting epithet.
This meeting was held privately, although it has been widely reported.
Pope Francis is aware of the articles that have recently come out concerning a conversation he had with bishops… behind closed doors, the statement reported the director of the Holy See, the Catholic Church’s executive body, Matteo Bruni, as saying.
The Pope’s reported words were first reported by the Italian tabloid website Dagospia, and they were quickly confirmed by other Italian news outlets.
The alleged rhetoric has shocked many, especially since Pope Francis has frequently spoken publicly about being supportive of homosexual people.
Mr Bruni stated: As he [the Pope] has stated on numerous occasions, ‘In the Church, there is room for everyone, everyone! Nobody is useless or redundant; there is room for everyone, exactly as we are.
The Pope never intended to offend or use homophobic language, and apologizes to everyone who felt offended [or] hurt by the use of a word, Mr Bruni said in the Vatican statement.
For a considerable time, pro-gay supporters of the Pope have said that although the Church’s stance on homosexual rights has not significantly changed, the Pope has altered its tone.
Early in his papacy, Francis was questioned about homosexuals, and his response was, Who am I to judge? made national news.
He has often discussed same-sex couples people being welcome in the Church and recently caused controversy among Catholic traditionalists by stating that priests should be authorized to bless same-sex couples in certain situations.
Spanish-speaking supporters of the Pope note that, although having grew up in an Italian-speaking family in Argentina, he occasionally makes blunders in Italian colloquialisms and implies that he was unaware of the degree of offense he might have caused.
However, Marianne Duddy-Burke, the leader of the LGBT Catholic rights organization DignityUSA, described the alleged remarks as shocking and hurtful, particularly for gay priests who have served God’s people faithfully and well.
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Unfortunately, despite being intended as a jest, the Pope’s remarks illustrate how anti-gay bias and systematic discrimination persist in our church. love, she told the Reuters news agency