Leftists claim that Pope Francis is the most pro-gay pontiff in history. He recently signed off on allowing priests to bless same-sex Catholics and has, in the past, said very nice things about gay people. He's called anti-gay laws in several countries a "sin" and has had several high-profile meetings with LGBTQ advocacy groups.
But the pope's reputation as an upstanding defender of LGBTQ rights took a hit recently when it came out that Francis used a homophobic slur to describe gay people who enter seminaries.
At a private meeting with bishops, the pope was asked about admitting gay men to Catholic seminaries where priests are trained. According to several sources reported by the Vatican media, Francis gave a firm "non" and added that seminaries were already too full of “frociaggine.”
Reuters translated the word as "faggotness" or "faggotry." Suffice it to say gay people would find the term used by Francis offensive and decidedly not very friendly.
The bottom line is that Francis is still opposed to allowing most gay men into the priesthood. He also thinks that gays in the seminary are too numerous.
“Pope Francis is aware of articles that recently came out about a conversation, behind closed doors,” said Matteo Bruni, the press office director for the Holy See, in response to questions from reporters. “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.”
The explanation was typical of those of us who are older and grew up using certain terms and have yet to get used to which ones are now offensive and which are still OK. I gave up trying to figure out which ones were offensive and just use them all anyway. Besides, the Vatican points out that the pope is from Argentina and may not have recognized the term he used in Italian as a slur.
The New York Times spent another 500 words explaining why Francis was an "ally" of gay people and should be forgiven for his remark.
At the start of his papacy, he said, “If a person is gay and seeks God and has good will, who am I to judge?” He also met often with gay-rights activists, and made a decision last year allowing priests to bless same-sex couples.
The opening to the L.G.B.T.Q. community has been met with a backlash. The decision to bless same-sex unions, for example, was widely criticized by bishops in conservative areas of the church, such as Africa, as they believe the practice contradicts church doctrine.
The Vatican quickly explained that blessings are not formal rites, and do not undercut church teaching against same-sex marriage.
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That may be true, but I wonder if Francis even knows the difference. In a "60 Minutes" interview, he didn't seem very sure of himself. He "clarified that he authorized the blessing of same-sex Catholics, not the blessing of same-sex couples as a union," according to National Review.
“No, what I allowed was not to bless the union,” he responded to a question from "60 Minutes" correspondent Norah O’Donnell. “That cannot be done because that is not the sacrament. I cannot. The Lord made it that way. But to bless each person, yes. The blessing is for everyone. For everyone. To bless a homosexual-type union, however, goes against the given right, against the law of the Church.”
Francis will never please the gay community, which wants total acceptance and license to engage in gay sex. I don't think even this pope would go that far.
