Behind closed doors with Italian Bishops, Pope Francis used a derogatory term that refers to gay men, much to the dismay of his many supporters.
Behind Closed Doors
Confirmed by multiple sources, Pope Francis used an offensive slur for gay men last week during a private discussion with Italian Bishops.
The Vatican’s Response
The Vatican has attempted to rectify the situation without clearly admitting that the incident occurred in the first place, further protecting the image of the most inclusive Pope to yet grace the Catholic Church.
One Week Too Late?
The Vatican was quick to acknowledge the situation once the news broke across multiple platforms, although the meeting occurred back on May 20th.
Apologies to “Those Who Were Offended”
Matteo Bruni, The Vatican spokesman, stated, “The pope never intended to offend or express himself in homophobic terms, and he extends his apologies to those who were offended by the use of a term that was reported by others”.
The Bigger Picture
The LGBTQ+ community has made it clear that their disappointment is not only about the offensive slur, but the context of where it was said and who he was speaking about.
No Gay Priests Allowed
While meeting with an assembly of Italian Bishops to discuss gay men training in Italian seminaries to become priests, The Pope used the slur to reaffirm his stance on the ban previously instated in 2005 by Pope Benedict.
More Than the Slur
Natalia Imperatori-Lee, the Chair of Religious Studies at Manhattan College responded, “More than the offensive slur uttered by the pope, what is damaging is the institutional church’s insistence on ‘banning’ gay men from the priesthood as if we all do not know (and minister alongside) many, many gifted, celibate, gay priests”.
Open to Everyone?
Only last December, Pope Francis gave his formal approval to allow priests to bless and marry same-sex couples, stating that the Catholic Church is open to everyone, regardless of sexuality.
But his stances have not historically always been in support of the marginalized LGBTQ+ community.
Clashing Claims
The same priest who made headlines in 2013 with his “Who am I to judge” stance, and has included transgender Catholics in his church, also recently signed off his approval on a Church document stating that “gender-affirming surgery is a grave violation of human dignity”.
Possible Language Barrier
Other members of the Catholic Church and The Vatican also mentioned that Italian is not the Pope’s first language, and that he likely did not know the meaning of the word he was using.
Seen as a “Blanket Ban”
New Ways Ministry stated that the “use of the slur was a careless colloquialism.” But, their director Francis DeBernardo said, “Without a clarification, his words will be interpreted as a blanket ban on accepting any gay man to a seminary, so many of whom faithfully serve the people of God each day.”
Paths of Nope
Andrea Rubera, a spokesperson from the Italian association dedicated to LGBTQ+ Christians called “Paths of Hope ” was also disappointed by the narrow-minded response to gay men joining the Priesthood.
A Deepening Issue
Rubera stated, “We hope, once again, that the time will come to undertake a discussion in the church toward a deepening of the LGBT issue, especially from the experience of the people themselves”.
Moving Forward
The LGBTQ+ community is no stranger to exclusion in the Church. Hopefully with the support of the Church leadership and those within their own community, they can continue to pursue their own religious experience with welcoming arms.
The post Pope Angers LGBTQ Community With His Derogatory Words first appeared on Pulse of Pride.
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