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Pope Francis has made derogatory comments about homosexual men. His statements have caused outrage and debate. Now the Vatican is apologizing.
Rome – A derogatory homophobic statement by Pope Francis has caused horror among bishops. The Pope declared behind closed doors that homosexual men should not be allowed to attend church seminaries. He used the derogatory homophobic insult “faggot”, which provoked strong reactions beyond Italy.
Pope Francis spoke about the admission of seminarians at a non-public meeting of the Italian Bishops’ Conference in the Vatican. According to Italian media reports, such as the Corriere Roma, He said that homosexual men should not be admitted to seminaries because there was already “too much” homosexual activity. The bishops present reacted with horror to the Pope’s choice of words.
Pope Francis apologizes
The bishops agreed that the Pope’s language was inappropriate. As the newspapers “Corriere della Sera” and “La Repubblica” reported, citing participating bishops, the head of the church used the vulgar Italian word “frociaggine”. However, the bishops quoted defended the Pope, saying that the Argentinian was apparently unaware of how offensive the Italian word was. Francesco Lepore, a former priest and now activist for gay rights, expressed his dismay and said that the choice of words was more reminiscent of a bar than the Vatican.
On Tuesday afternoon, Pope Francis apologized for his statement. “The Pope never intended to offend anyone or to use homophobic language,” the Vatican said on Tuesday. The head of the church apologized to everyone who felt “offended” by his choice of words.
The Pope’s latest comments contradict his previous more liberal statements on the LGBT community. In 2013, Francis declared: “If someone is gay and seeks the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?” Last year, he also called laws criminalizing homosexuality a “sin” and an “injustice.” Francis also allowed Catholic priests to bless same-sex couples.
The Catholic Church and homosexuality: A tough development
The discussion about homosexual men in priestly training is not new. In 2018, Francis had already announced a similar message without derogatory language, calling on bishops to carefully examine applicants and reject homosexuals. The 2005 Vatican document, published under Pope Benedict XVI and confirmed by Francis in 2016, distinguishes between simple homosexual orientation and “deep-rooted tendencies”. Men who have the latter are prohibited from admission to seminaries.
However, recent comments by Pope Francis may indicate a more radical stance on the issue. The controversy shows how deeply divided the Catholic Church is, even in 2024, when it comes to the acceptance of homosexuality.
Pope Francis rejected the ordination of women
The head of the Catholic Church recently irritated faithful followers when he spoke out against the ordination of women in the Catholic Church in a CBS interview on Pentecost. When the moderator asked whether a Catholic girl would ever have the opportunity to become a deacon and thus a member of the clergy, the Pope answered with a clear “no”. Women can provide great services, but not through ordination, said the Pope.
Limburg Bishop Georg Bätzing is surprised and irritated by Pope Francis’ clear rejection of the ordination of women, as the Evangelical Newspaper reported. “I have never heard him speak like that before and have often spoken to him personally about these questions,” said the theologian. Bätzing stressed that the topic of women’s ordination was important in all discussions of the World Synod and that the Pope had set up a working group to deal with it. However, Bätzing was skeptical about outsourcing this issue to working groups. He sees considerable pressure for reform in the Church. Bätzing also expressed his conviction that in today’s cultural situation, women and the priesthood are compatible.
It remains to be seen how the Vatican will react to these new developments. Official statements from the Vatican on the latest comments are still pending. (ls)
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