After reports of an alleged misstep by the Pope, who allegedly used derogatory words in the presence of the bishops about the discussed admission of homosexuals to priestly training, Francis has apologized. The Pope did not want to offend anyone or express himself in a homophobic manner, according to a Vatican press release on Tuesday.
“Pope Francis is aware of articles that have recently appeared about a closed-door conversation with the bishops of the Italian Episcopal Conference. As he has said on several occasions: ‘There is room in the church for everyone, for everyone! No one is superfluous, no one is superfluous, there is room for everyone. As we are, all of us,” the Vatican press release said.
“There are already too many fags”
“There are already too many fags in the seminaries,” the Pope said. He is said to have used a cruder Italian word, according to La Repubblica and Corriere della Sera, Italy’s most widely circulated daily newspapers.
“In the Catholic Church we no longer know where to hide the many homosexuals among the clergy. The Catholic Church’s repressive policies towards the LGBTQIA+ community must end,” said Rosario Coco, president of the gay association Gaynet.
“We should not forget that the seminaries in Italy are also financed with Italian tax money. If this discriminatory statement by the Pope is confirmed, we demand that the government in Rome block taxpayer funds for the Catholic Church,” demanded Fabrizio Marrazzo, spokesperson for the “Gay LGBT+” party. Social Democratic parliamentarian and gay rights activist Alessandro Zan complained about homophobia in the Italian church.
Bishops wanted to downplay the incident
According to La Repubblica, some bishops confirmed that the pope had used the vulgar word during last week’s meeting, but they apparently tried to downplay the situation in the Italian press and spoke of an unintentional mistake on the part of the Argentine pope, who was Italian not the native language. It was clear to those present that the pope was unaware of how offensive the word was in Italian, the bishops said.
Debate about the admission of homosexuals
In November, at their meeting in Assisi, the Italian bishops adopted a new text regulating access to seminaries, “Ratioformationis sacerdotalis”, which has not yet been published because it is still awaiting approval from the Holy See. The majority of them had approved an amendment that maintained the distinction between a simple homosexual orientation and so-called “deep-seated inclinations”.
Essentially, a homosexual can be admitted to the seminary as long as he, like a heterosexual, guarantees that he knows how to observe the discipline of celibacy. However, Francis apparently takes a more radical position: in his opinion, to avoid problems, homosexuals should not be admitted to seminaries without exception.
In the declaration “Fiducia supplicans” of the Vatican religious authority of December 18, 2023, the Pope’s chief dogmatist, Argentine Cardinal Victor Fernandez, granted an informal blessing to same-sex couples, unmarried or remarried, while emphasizing that confusion with the sacrament of marriage must be excluded. The Declaration of the Dicastery’s Doctrine of Faith caused heated discussions within and outside the Catholic Church.
Source: Krone
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