- Title: Catholic LGBTQ+ group disappointed over Pope's reported homophobic slur
- Date: 28th May 2024
- Summary: MILAN, ITALY (MAY 28, 2024) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) SPOKESPERSON OF CATHOLIC LGBTQ+ ASSOCIATION, PATHS OF HOPE, ANDREA RUBERA, SAYING: "I think there could be a chance that the trust between Pope Francis and the LGBT community could be affected, but I think that it depends a lot on the next steps. I think that the fundamentalist part of the Roman Catholic Church co
- Embargoed: 11th June 2024 21:06
- Keywords: APOLOGY LGBT POPE FRANCIS
- Location: MILAN, ITALY, VATICAN CITY, ONBOARD PAPAL PLANE
- City: MILAN, ITALY, VATICAN CITY, ONBOARD PAPAL PLANE
- Country: Italy
- Topics: Europe,Religion/Belief,Society/Social Issues
- Reuters ID: LVA007624728052024RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: EDITORS NOTE: PLEASE SEE 6172-POPE-LGBT/REAX AND 8055-POPE-FRANCIS/SHORT PROFILE FOR ADDITIONAL MATERIAL
A spokesperson of a Christian Catholic LGBTQ+ association, expressed frustration and disappointment on Tuesday (May 28) after Pope Francis was widely quoted as having used a highly derogatory word to describe the LGBT community.
"A lot of people felt frustrated and disappointed because they felt directly addressed by those words," Spokesperson of Paths of Hope, Andrea Rubera, said adding there was a lot of disappointment and also fear, especially among the Catholic LGBT people that the dialogue that Pope Francis started was "something false."
Italian media had reported on Monday that Francis used the Italian term "frociaggine," roughly translating as "faggotness" or "faggotry," as he told Italian bishops he remained opposed to admitting gay people into the priesthood.
"The pope never intended to offend or express himself in homophobic terms, and he apologizes to those who felt offended by the use of a term reported by others," Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said in an emailed statement.
The Vatican spokesman reiterated that the pope remained committed to a welcoming Church for all, where "nobody is useless, nobody is superfluous, (where) there is room for everyone."
Francis, who is 87, has been credited with making substantial overtures towards the LGBT community during his 11-year papacy.
In 2013, at the start of his papacy, he famously said: "If a person is gay and seeks God and has good will, who am I to judge?" Last year he allowed priests to bless members of same-sex couples, triggering a substantial conservative backlash.
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