Pope Francis allegedly used an offensive slur while discussing the admission of homosexual men into seminaries, several Italian newspapers have reported.
The 87-year-old pontiff is alleged to have made the remark while meeting bishops in Rome last week, where they were reportedly discussing whether gay men should be admitted to Catholic seminaries where priests are trained.
The Pope is reported to have said that while it was important to embrace all people, it was likely that a gay person could risk leading a double life. He is then alleged to have said that in some seminaries there was already too much “frociaggine”, a vulgar Italian word that roughly translates at “faggotness”.
The story has been covered by Italian newspapers La Repubblica and Corriere della Sera.
Unnamed bishops were quoted as saying Francis meant the term as a “joke”. One bishop told Corriere della Sera that the pontiff might not have been aware that the term was offensive.
Pope Francis has previously sought to adopt a more inclusive approach towards homosexuality. When asked in 2013 what he would say to a gay person who was seeking the Sacrament of Reconciliation, he replied: “Who am I to judge?”
The Vatican have yet to respond to questions about the Pope’s latest comments.
