02/08/2024
The BBC News Channel reports that Pope Francis has apologised following reports that he used extremely derogatory language towards gay men. A statement from the Vatican said the Pope did not mean to offend anyone and apologised to those who were "hurt by the use of a word". “Pope Francis is aware of the articles that have come out recently concerning a conversation he had with bishops... behind closed doors,” the statement quoted the director of the Holy See - the Catholic Church's governing body - Matteo Bruni, as saying. Mr Bruni said: “As he [the Pope] has stated on more than one occasion, ‘In the Church there is room for everyone, everyone! Nobody is useless or superfluous, there is room for everyone, just the way we are.’” Spanish-speaking defenders of the Pope point out that he sometimes makes mistakes in Italian colloquialisms, and suggest that he did not appreciate the level of offence he might have caused by using the offensive slang word to refer to gay men. LGBTQIA+ Catholic groups have noted that the Pope has reformed the way in which the Catholic Church interacts with gay people, and bases his approach on understanding, tolerance and non-judgementalism.
