# Pope Francis apologizes after allegedly using Italian anti-gay slur when talking about ban on gay men in seminaries

By Thomas Stevenson · Published 2024-05-28 · News & Analysis › Faith & Family · https://humanevents.com/news/pope-francis-apologizes-after-allegedly-using-italian-anti-gay-slur-when-talking-about-ban-on-gay-men-in-seminaries

> Pope Francis allegedly shocked bishops when, in a meeting, he told them that there was too much "frociaggine" which roughly translates to "f\*ggotness" in English.

[Pope Francis](https://thepostmillennial.com/pope-francis-says-homosexuality-not-a-crime-after-benedict-book-revealed-gay-clubs-in-seminaries?utm_campaign=64494) has apologized after allegedly shocking [Catholic Bishops](https://thepostmillennial.com/catholic-parents-appeal-to-supreme-court-after-son-was-removed-from-home-over-refusal-to-affirm-gender-identity) during a closed-door meeting when he said that gay men should not be admitted to seminaries because there was too much "f\*ggotness" going on.

[Watch on Rumble](https://rumble.com/embed/v3yj6ak/?pub=2n05b)

According to the [Associated Press](https://apnews.com/article/pope-gay-priests-francis-vatican-92ee291bbeef00a898a10a8a45afd32c?taid=6655db5cfaceea0001fe60da&utm_campaign=TrueAnthem&utm_medium=AP&utm_source=Twitterhttps://apnews.com/article/pope-gay-priests-francis-vatican-92ee291bbeef00a898a10a8a45afd32c?taid=6655db5cfaceea0001fe60da&utm_campaign=TrueAnthem&utm_medium=AP&utm_source=Twitter), Francis used the term "frociaggine," a derogatory word that roughly translates to "f\*ggotness" in Italian, when talking about a policy banning gay men from seminaries.

The comments reportedly came during a meeting at the Episcopal conference at the Vatican where the Pope spoke about the desired policy for colleges that train individuals for the priesthood, per the [Daily Mail](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13465131/Pope-Francis-shocks-bishops-gay-men-church-seminaries.html).

The Italian publication, [Adnkronos](https://www.adnkronos.com/cronaca/papa-francesco-le-parole-ai-vescovi-ce-unaria-di-frociaggine-in-giro-che-non-fa-bene_64Va45fgvO6iEJ3hPqWzGh), quoted an unnamed source who said the direct quote from Italian translated to, “Look, there is already an air of f\*ggotness going around that isn’t good. There is a culture today of homosexuality, because of which those with a homosexual orientation are better off not being welcomed \[into the seminary\]."

The remarks were met with laughter from the bishops in the room, sources told the [Corriere della Sera](https://roma.corriere.it/notizie/cronaca/24_maggio_27/papa-francesco-frociaggine-assemblea-cei-7f86ec0c-141f-4148-8935-4bd805699xlk.shtml?refresh_ce). Some suggested that it was a mistake from on the Pope's part, as Italian is his second language, and that he did not know the connotation behind the word. The comments and move towards having a policy that would bar gay men from being in church seminaries comes to a surprise to some who have seen Pope Francis as being softer on LGBTQ issues.

When [Francis](https://thepostmillennial.com/pope-francis-apologizes-for-deplorable-evil-of-residential-schools?utm_campaign=64494) was asked about homosexuality in general in 2013, Francis responded, "If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?" However, in 2018, the Pope made a similar statement about seminary policies, wanting those who are admitted to undergo a vetting process and for the Catholic Church to reject those applicants who are suspected to be gay.