NEW DELHI: Pope Francis issued an apology on Tuesday following a controversy surrounding derogatory remarks he was alleged to have used to describe gay men in a closed-door meeting with Italian bishops last week.
The Vatican issued a statement clarifying that, “The pope never intended to offend or express himself in homophobic terms, and he extends his apologies to those who felt offended by the use of a term, as reported by others.”
In the meeting with over 250 bishops, the 87-year-old Pope Francis made a controversial remark.He expressed his disapproval of openly homosexual men entering priesthood training, even if they vow celibacy.
According to two Italian newspapers, Pope Francis used a derogatory Roman term that translates to ‘faggotry’. Francis said there was already too much “frociaggine” in seminaries, this drew dismay from both LGTBQ groups and practising Catholics.
Some commentators speculated that the Argentine pope might not have been aware of the word’s offensive nature. The Vatican has not confirmed if he used the offensive term but referred to newspaper reports.
The Vatican issued a statement reiterating Pope Francis’s inclusive message saying, “As he had the opportunity to state on several occasions: ‘In the Church there is room for everyone, everyone! Nobody is useless, nobody is superfluous, there is space for everyone. Just as we are, all of us’.”
(With inputs from agencies)
The Vatican issued a statement clarifying that, “The pope never intended to offend or express himself in homophobic terms, and he extends his apologies to those who felt offended by the use of a term, as reported by others.”
In the meeting with over 250 bishops, the 87-year-old Pope Francis made a controversial remark.He expressed his disapproval of openly homosexual men entering priesthood training, even if they vow celibacy.
According to two Italian newspapers, Pope Francis used a derogatory Roman term that translates to ‘faggotry’. Francis said there was already too much “frociaggine” in seminaries, this drew dismay from both LGTBQ groups and practising Catholics.
Some commentators speculated that the Argentine pope might not have been aware of the word’s offensive nature. The Vatican has not confirmed if he used the offensive term but referred to newspaper reports.
The Vatican issued a statement reiterating Pope Francis’s inclusive message saying, “As he had the opportunity to state on several occasions: ‘In the Church there is room for everyone, everyone! Nobody is useless, nobody is superfluous, there is space for everyone. Just as we are, all of us’.”
(With inputs from agencies)