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Sources present at a closed-door meeting said the pope used the slur during a discussion in which he warned against admitting gay men into the priesthood.
Pope Francis has been accused of using a homophobic slur once again.
The pope used the term Tuesday during a closed-door meeting with priests in Rome, Italian news outlets ANSA and Adnkronos report. Anonymous sources present at the gathering said Francis used the word during a discussion in which he warned against admitting gay men into the priesthood.
The sources claimed that Francis used the term while quoting another bishop, saying, “A bishop came to me and told me, ‘There is too much frociaggine here in the Vatican.'"
The word Francis has been accused of using, “frociaggine," loosely translates to “faggotness.” The pope was also accused of using the term just two weeks ago during a previous meeting with church officials debating the admission of gay men to seminaries.
Pope Francis reportedly disagreed with their inclusion, claiming that while the church should be welcoming of everyone, to be gay and a priest would be to lead a double life. He then said that seminaries already have too much “frociaggine," nearly identical wording to the bishop he was allegedly quoting Tuesday.
Francis has often been perceived as more accepting of LGBTQ+ Catholics than his predecessors. When asked by a journalist in 2013 about gay priests being included, he said, "If someone is gay and seeks the Lord with good will, who am I to judge?" He later affirmed that the church should apologize to LGBTQ+ people for mistreating them.
However, Francis has not changed church doctrine. He approved a Vatican document in 2016 reaffirming that "persons with homosexual tendencies" are barred from Roman Catholic seminaries and the priesthood. He also recently allowed priests to bless same-sex couples, though only if the blessing does not resemble a wedding nor take place as part of regular church activities.
The Vatican has not yet commented on the second instance, though officials said after the first instance they were surprised by the pope's use of the word, claiming simultaneously that it was a “joke” and that Francis did not know the meaning. Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni soon after issued an apology on behalf of the pope.
“The pope never intended to offend or express himself in homophobic terms, and he extends his apologies to those who were offended by the use of a term that was reported by others,” Bruni said.
