Priestly training

Pope: uproar over alleged “faggotry” comment

(Bild: AP)

Pope Francis is currently causing a stir with a comment on the admission of openly homosexual men to priestly training. At a non-public meeting with around 200 bishops in the Vatican, the head of the Church is said to have used an extremely crude choice of words ... 

In explaining why he was against admitting this group to the country's seminaries, the head of the church is said to have said that there was already "too much faggotry" there anyway. The term "froci" allegedly used by the Pope corresponds roughly to the German term "Schwuchtel" and is usually perceived as derogatory in Italy; however, it is also often used colloquially in the capital Rome and is not necessarily derogatory.

Sager passed on to the media
The Pope's words were apparently passed on to the media by some participants in the bishops' meeting. The Rome correspondent of the mostly pro-pope magazine "America", published by the Jesuit order, also reported on this on Monday evening, citing earwitnesses.

Nei seminari c'è già troppa frociaggine.

Mit jenem angeblichen Zitat sorgt Franziskus derzeit in Italien für Aufregung. 

According to "La Repubblica", some bishops saw the choice of words as an unintentional mistake by Francis, whose native language is not Italian but Spanish. It was clear to those present that the Pope was not aware of how offensive the word was in Italian, the bishops said.

Debate about homosexuals in the seminary
On a factual level, the rejection of sexually active homosexuals in the training of priests is in line with the current guidelines of the Roman Catholic Church on this issue. The norm was laid down in 2005 under Pope Benedict XVI (2005-13) and most recently confirmed by Pope Francis in 2016.

The bishops in Italy had been debating a more flexible approach to these guidelines in light of declining admissions to most of the country's seminaries and a changed social climate towards homosexuals. The Pope has now apparently commented negatively on this debate. Neither the Vatican nor the Italian Bishops' Conference made any statements on the subject on Monday evening.

"Block taxpayers' money for the church"
The Italian LGBTQ associations were outraged. They deplore homophobia in the church. "In the Catholic Church, they no longer know where to hide the many homosexuals among the clergy. The Catholic Church's repressive policy towards the LGTQBIA+ community must come to an end," commented Rosario Coco, President of the Gaynet homosexual association.

The Church's treatment of homosexuals has repeatedly sparked protests, and not only in Italy.

(Bild: AFP)

"We must not forget that the seminaries in Italy are also financed with Italian taxpayers' money. If this discriminatory statement by the Pope is confirmed, we demand that the government in Rome blocks taxpayers' money for the Catholic Church," demanded Fabrizio Marrazzo, spokesperson for the "Gay Lgbt+" party.