Pope apologizes after being quoted using vulgar term about gay men in talk about ban on gay priests

Nicole Winfield, Associated Press

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis apologized Tuesday aft he was quoted utilizing a vulgar and derogatory word astir cheery men to reaffirm nan Catholic Church’s prohibition connected cheery priests.

The ruckus that ensued underscored really nan church’s charismatic school astir homosexuality often bumps up against nan unacknowledged reality that location are plentifulness of cheery men successful nan priesthood, and plentifulness of LGBTQ+ Catholics who want to beryllium afloat portion of nan life and sacraments of nan church.

Vatican spokesperson Matteo Bruni issued a connection acknowledging nan media large wind that erupted astir Francis’ comments, which were delivered down closed doors to Italian bishops connected May 20.

Italian media connected Monday had quoted unnamed Italian bishops successful reporting that Francis jokingly utilized nan word “faggotness” while speaking successful Italian during nan encounter. He had utilized nan word successful reaffirming nan Vatican’s prohibition connected allowing cheery men to participate seminaries and beryllium ordained priests.

Bruni said Francis was alert of nan reports and recalled that nan Argentine pope, who has made outreach to LGBTQ+ Catholics a hallmark of his papacy, has agelong insisted location was “room for everyone” successful nan Catholic Church.

“The pope ne'er intended to offend aliases definitive himself successful homophobic terms, and he extends his apologies to those who were offended by nan usage of a word that was reported by others,” Bruni said.

With nan statement, Bruni cautiously avoided an outright confirmation that nan pope had so utilized nan term, successful keeping pinch nan Vatican’s contented of not revealing what nan pope says down closed doors. But Bruni besides didn’t contradict that Francis had said it.

And for those who person agelong advocated for greater inclusion and acceptance of LGBTQ+ Catholics, nan rumor was bigger than nan connection itself.

“More than nan violative slur uttered by nan pope, what is damaging is nan organization church’s insistence connected ‘banning’ cheery men from nan priesthood arsenic if we each do not cognize (and curate alongside) many, galore gifted, celibate, cheery priests,” noted Natalia Imperatori-Lee, chair of nan belief studies section astatine Manhattan College.

“The LGBTQ organization seems to beryllium a changeless target of offhand, disconnected nan cuff ‘mistakes’ from group successful nan Vatican, including nan pope, who should cognize better,” she added.

Francis was addressing an assembly of nan Italian bishops conference, which precocious approved a caller archive outlining training for Italian seminarians. The document, which hasn’t been published pending reappraisal by nan Holy See, reportedly sought to unfastened immoderate wiggle room successful nan Vatican’s absolute prohibition connected cheery priests by introducing nan rumor of celibacy arsenic nan superior request for priests, cheery aliases straight.

The Vatican prohibition was articulated successful a 2005 archive from nan Congregation for Catholic Education, and later repeated successful a consequent archive successful 2016, which said nan religion cannot admit to seminaries aliases ordain men who “practice homosexuality, coming deep-seated homosexual tendencies aliases support nan alleged cheery culture.”

The position has agelong been criticized arsenic homophobic and hypocritical for an institution that surely counts cheery priests successful its ranks. The precocious psychotherapist Richard Sipe, a onetime Benedictine monk who taught successful U.S. seminaries, estimated successful nan early 2000s that arsenic galore arsenic 30% of nan U.S. clergy was homosexually oriented.

The precocious Rev. Donald Cozzens, a seminary rector, said nan percent was moreover higher, and asserted successful his book “The Changing Face of The Priesthood” that nan U.S. priesthood was progressively becoming a cheery occupation since truthful galore heterosexual men had near nan priesthood to wed and person families.

Priests successful nan Latin rite Catholic Church cannot marry, while those successful eastbound rite churches may. Church school holds that cheery group must beryllium treated pinch dignity and respect but that homosexual activity is “intrinsically disordered.”

Francis powerfully reaffirmed nan Vatican prohibition connected cheery priests successful his May 20 gathering pinch nan Italian bishops, joking that “there is already an aerial of faggotness” successful seminaries, nan Italian media reported, aft first reporting from rumors tract Dagospia.

Italian is not Francis’ mother lingua language, and nan Argentine pope has made linguistic gaffes successful nan past that raised eyebrows. The 87-year-old Argentine pope often speaks informally, jokes utilizing slang and moreover curses successful private.

He has been known for his outreach to LGBTQ+ Catholics, however, starting from his celebrated “Who americium I to judge ” remark successful 2013 astir a leader who purportedly had a cheery person successful his past. He has ministered to transgender Catholics, allowed priests to bless same-sex couples and called for an extremity to anti-gay legislation, saying successful a 2023 question and reply pinch The Associated Press that “ Being homosexual is not a crime. ”

However, he has occasionally offended LGBTQ+ group and their advocates, including successful that aforesaid question and reply wherever he implied that while homosexuality wasn’t a crime, it was a sin. He later clarified that he was referring to intersexual activity, and that immoderate activity extracurricular matrimony betwixt a man and a female was sinful successful nan eyes of nan church.

And astir recently, he signed disconnected connected a Vatican archive asserting that gender-affirming room was a sedate usurpation of quality dignity.

New Ways Ministry, which advocates for LGBTQ+ Catholics, welcomed Francis’ apology Tuesday and said it confirmed that nan “use of nan slur was a sloppy colloquialism.” But nan group’s head Francis DeBernardo questioned nan underlying contented of nan pope’s comments and nan wide prohibition connected gays successful nan priesthood.

“Without a clarification, his words will beryllium interpreted arsenic a broad prohibition connected accepting immoderate cheery man to a seminary,” DeBernardo said successful a release, asking for a clearer connection connected Francis’ views astir cheery priests “so galore of whom faithfully service nan group of God each day.”

Andrea Rubera, a spokesperson for Paths of Hope, an Italian relation of LGBTQ+ Christians, said he was incredulous erstwhile he first publication astir nan pope’s comments, and past sad erstwhile nary denial came from nan Vatican. It showed, he said, that nan pope and nan Vatican still person a “limited view” of nan reality of LGBTQ+ people.

“We hope, erstwhile again, that nan clip will travel to undertake a chat successful nan religion toward a deepening of nan LGBT issue, particularly from nan acquisition of nan group themselves,” he said.