Pope Francis Accused of , Repeating Homophobic Slur.
Last month, Pope Francis used an offensive word
to describe gay men while in a closed-door
meeting with bishops, NBC News reports.
After the news got out, the Vatican issued
an apology "to those who were offended.".
As he has had the opportunity to state
on several occasions, 'In the Church
there is room for everyone, for
everyone! No one is useless, no one
is superfluous, there is room for
everyone. Just as we are, everyone.', Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni, via statement.
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, reported by others, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni, via statement.
According to Italian news agency ANSA,
the pope used the homophobic slur again in
another meeting with Roman priests on June 11. .
He allegedly used the word while suggesting that gay men should not be allowed in seminaries but should be welcome in the Catholic Church.
When asked to comment, the
Vatican referred to a previous statement
it made regarding the latest meeting.
The statement highlighted the pope's desire to welcome "people with homosexual tendencies,".
while exercising caution
"regarding their entry into the seminary.".
The Vatican did not issue another apology