Pope Francis made controversial homophobic remarks using the term “frociaggine” while rejecting homosexual men for seminaries, sparking confusion and criticism.
Last week, the head of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis, made homophobic remarks about admitting gay priests in seminaries. The pontiff used a highly disparaging and offensive term for the LGBTQ+, “frociaggine” which translates to ‘gay sexual orientation’ while objecting to the admission of homosexual men as priests in the Catholic Church.
In an assembly with the bishops of the Italian Bishops Conference (CIE) to approve a new document outlining training for Italian seminarians, Pope Francis was criticized for making homophobic remarks, often regarded as “too liberal” by other conservatives in the Church.
This news was first reported by the Italian website Dagospia and later by Italian newspapers La Repubblica and Corriere della Sera. According to these newspapers, the Pope vetoed the move to usher in homosexual men to seminaries since there was “too much of frociaggine” in a few seminaries. To enter seminaries, “they must follow celibacy.”
Media platforms reported that the sovereign made the derogatory remark as a “joke.” CIE bishops said the Pope might not have realized that the term had a derogatory connotation.
The Apology
On Tuesday, 28 May, Matteo Bruni, the Director of the Holy See Press Office, issued a statement on behalf of Pope Francis responding to journalists and other media outlets. He stated that the head of the Vatican State is “aware” of the conversation regarding his remarks.
“There is room for everyone in the Church, for everyone! No one is useless; no one is superfluous; there is room for everyone. Just as we are, everyone.” The Vatican spokesperson clarified that the Pope never intended to offend or express himself in homophobic terms and apologizes to those who felt offended by it, as reported by others.
In the Catholic Church, We Trust?
The Catholic Church is known for its apprehensive nature towards the LGBTQ+ community and the issue of same-sex marriage. With Pope Francis’ accession to power in March 2013, the Church’s stance on the LGBTQ+ community has been overturned from the conservative ‘no-no’ to ambivalent.
The teachings of Catechism view homosexual orientation and its acts as a grave sin. In an 80-minute in-flight conference in July 2013, the pontiff said If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and he has goodwill, who am I to judge?” signaling his tolerance towards gay priests when asked about “gay lobby.”
Although he approved a ruling in December 2023 allowing priests to bless unmarried and same-sex couples, he has put his foot down that he will not allow gays to join the clergy, claiming he is concerned about perpetuating the “fashion” of being gay among priests.
It has been argued by Spanish-speaking defenders of the Pope that he sometimes misuses Italian colloquialisms and does not appreciate the potential offense he might have caused, even though he was raised in an Italian-speaking family.
Marianne Duddy-Burke, the Executive Director of Dignity USA, a Catholic rights group, said that the comments made by Pope Francis were “shocking and hurtful,” especially to those gay priests who have served God and “God’s people faithfully and well.” She says she is gratuitous that Francis expresses his sincere apologies for making such remarks, but it does not make his case any better for using the term since it was “disheartening.”
She told the Reuters news agency that even if the underlying intention of the pontiff’s remark was a joke, it reveals “the depth of anti-gay bias and institutional discrimination that still exist in our church.”
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