Pope Francis once again used a vulgar homophobic term, opposes the admission of gay men in seminary: Reports

Pope Francis has repeated the same vulgar homophobic term he was accused of using earlier. Even after apologizing last month for abusing the gay community, Franci once again used an anti-gay slur during a priest’s meeting in Rome on Tuesday, ANSA news agency reported.

The Italian media has previously attributed the Pope for using “frociaggine”, a vulgar Italian term translated as “faggotness” in English, on May 20 during a private meeting with Italian bishops.

ANSA reported that Francis repeated the use of the same term in a priest’s meeting saying, “there is an air of faggotness in the Vatican,” and it was better that young men with a homosexual tendency not be allowed to enter the seminary.

The news was reported citing an anonymous source who was said to have attended the meeting.

Responding to these reports, the Vatican’s press office referred to a statement it had issued regarding Tuesday’s meeting, where the pope reiterated the need to welcome gay people into the Church and emphasized caution regarding them becoming seminarians.

Corriere della Sera newspaper reported citing bishops who were in the room, justifying the statement as the Pope being an Argentine might not have realised the offensiveness of the Italian term.

The 87-year-old, Francis had been widely recognized for making significant efforts to reach out to the LGBT community throughout his 11-year papacy.

However, some observers of the Vatican say his recent missteps have weakened his influence and brought and raised questions about his question his beliefs and the direction he intends to take the Church in terms of reform.

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