Pope Francis Uses Shocking Anti-Gay Slur In Meeting With Bishops, Later Apologizes

Pope Francis apologized for saying a highly offensive word for gay people in a closed-door meeting with bishops, which was first reported in Italian news outlets Monday.

“The Pope never intended to offend or express himself in homophobic terms, and he extends his apologies to those who felt offended by the use of a term, as reported by others,” the Vatican said in a statement to CNN on Tuesday. HuffPost has also reached out to the Vatican.

In his meeting the pope had said seminaries were already too full of “frociaggine,” meaning “faggotry” or “faggotness,” Reuters and CNN reported in their translation of the articles from La Repubblica and Corriere della Sera. The pontiff was in the midst of arguing that gay people should be barred from becoming priests.

La Repubblica credited its article to unspecified sources after a political gossip site first reported the allegations, while Corriere said unnamed bishops confirmed the incident, Reuters wrote. But some of the clergymen said the pope was speaking Italian, a second language, and might not have realized the term was insensitive.

The pontiff said the homophobic word in a private May 20 meeting with Italian bishops, potentially denting his reputation for relative tolerance toward gay people.

In December the pope formally approved allowing Catholic prieststo bless same-sex couples in an effort to broaden inclusivity. Still, the church enforces a strict ban on same-sex marriage.

The pontiff’s reputation for tolerance hasn’t always translated into progressive action for the LGBTQ+ community. In April the Vatican issued a harsh rebuke of gender-affirming surgery in a declaration approved by him.