Pope Francis has been accused of repeating a homophobic slur during a closed-door meeting with 200 young priests on Tuesday, June 11, 2024. According to reports by Italy’s Ansa news agency and the Catholic website Silere Non Possum, the Pope allegedly referred to “an air of frociaggine” in the Vatican. The term “frociaggine” is a vulgar Italian word translating roughly to “faggotry.”
This incident follows a previous controversy on May 20, 2024, when Francis used the same term during a meeting with Italian bishops discussing whether to allow celibate gay men to train for priesthood at Catholic seminaries. The Vatican later apologized, stating that the Pope did not intend to be offensive or use homophobic language. Bishops present claimed the pontiff might not have realized the term's offensiveness.
The Vatican press office referred to a prior statement in response to this second allegation, emphasizing the Pope's message on the importance of welcoming gay people into the Church while expressing caution about their ordination as priests.
Pope Francis, aged 87, has previously been noted for a relatively inclusive stance towards the LGBTQ+ community, allowing clergy to bless same-sex couples outside the context of marriage. However, the Church maintains that it does not have the authority to bless same-sex unions formally.
In related events, during his weekly general audience, Pope Francis advised priests to keep their homilies to a maximum of eight minutes to prevent losing the congregation's attention, reiterating the need for concise and meaningful sermons.