Pope Francis said it was better that young men with a homosexual tendency not be allowed to enter the seminary (Picture: Getty Images)
‘There is an air of fa*****ess in the room’ – These are the words spoken by Pope Francis when he met some Vatican priests on Tuesday behind closed doors.
He has already come under criticism for using the gay slur last month for which he apologised.
The Pope said the word ‘frociaggine’, a vulgar Italian term roughly translating as ‘fa*****ess’.
He told the priests it was better that young men with a homosexual tendency not be allowed to enter the seminary.
The Vatican has been approached for comment by Metro.co.uk about this latest comment from the Pope.
It has referred other outlets to a statement in which the Pope reiterated the need to welcome gay people into the Church and the need for caution regarding them becoming seminarians.
Meanwhile the Corriere della Sera newspaper quoted unnamed bishops who were in the room who suggested because the Pope is from Argentina he might not have realised the term is offensive.
Some see these slurs against the gay community as bringing the Pope’s authority into disrepute and undermine work being carried out to reform the Catholic faith.
He has come under criticism in the past (Picture: Vatican Media/ANSA via ZUMA Pres)
The Pope previously said gay people needed to be kicked out of seminaries whether they acted on their sexual tendencies or not.
He said publicly ‘who am I to judge?’ when asked about gay people at the start of his papacy.
The Pope also told a trans person that ‘even if we are sinners, he [God] draws near to help us’ during a meeting last July.
He has made other comments in the past like telling transgender people they can be baptised in the church as long as doing so does not cause a ‘public scandal’ or ‘confusion.’
But he has been known for some positive change including approved priests to bless unmarried and same-sex couples in Catholic churches, which was seen as a huge change for the 2,000-year-old institution.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.