LGBTQ+ community reacts to alleged homophobic insults from Pope Francis

While attending a closed-door meeting at the Italian Bishops' Conference to discuss the admission of gay men to Catholic seminaries on Monday, May 20, Pope Francis reportedly used a homophobic slur in declaring that gay men should not be allowed to train for the priesthood. as there are already too many »frociaggine (f**gotry)” in the Church.

News of the discussion was first reported Dagospia, an Italian tabloid site, but has since been confirmed by a number of other Italian news agencies.

The pope's alleged use of homophobic slurs came as a shock to many Catholics who, since the appointment of Pope Francis in 2013, believe they are seeing a change in the Church's attitude toward the LGBTQ+ community.

Indeed, Pope Francis has certainly been more receptive to LGBTQ+ issues than previous popes. In 2022, he urged Catholic parents not to condemn their queer children. In 2023, the head of the Church also approved Catholic blessings for same-sex marriages and confirmed that trans people can be baptized and act as godparents in the Catholic Church.

Although the Vatican has yet to respond to these recent allegations, the global LGBTQ+ community, as well as some members of the Catholic Church, have since come out in droves to respond to the Pope's alleged use of the slur Italian “extremely derogatory”.

An X/Twitter user responded to the Pope's comments by writing: “Any of them #Christian who uses insults to refer to #LGBTQIA community, including #Pope Francisis a hypocrite who doesn't try to #love everyone in their own way #Jesus did. #Love is love“.

Another user shared a video from 2023 of the Associated Press in which Pope Francis proclaimed that although homosexuality was still a sin, it should not be treated as a crime. In light of the recent allegations, the user commented on the video, writing: “This happened a little over a year ago, but times change and certainly not for the better!

Before this news, many believed that Pope Francis was preparing the ground to eventually allow gay men to train for the priesthood, provided they took a vow of celibacy, as all other priests do.

However, at last week's conference he rejected the idea, saying gay men run the risk of being unable to renounce their homosexuality and leading double lives.

The Vatican has been called to respond to the recent allegations, but has yet to make a statement as to their validity.

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