The incredible gaffe of the pontiff for a crude statement on homosexuals in seminaries

Image created with AI to represent a Pope who is a bit of a bully and hooligan for the declaration on homosexuals in seminaries | article by Gabriele Romano

When I read the news I was quite skeptical if it was really true.

During the CEI assembly, Pope Francis spoke about the admission of seminarians, inviting the bishops not to admit openly gay ones because there is already too much fagotism.

Obviously both the content of the declaration and above all the form caused a sensation. The term “faggot“, which in Italian translates to “frocio“, is obviously a rather rude word and very often is also offensive. Contexts in which the word is not perceived as offensive are rare. But beyond this it is clear that such a term is quite surreal for the Pope because the word is at least crude and absolutely non-formal.

I also did some research on the translation of the term fagot into English and I thought it didn’t have exactly the same meaning. Although the word is derogatory in both languages, I believed that in English it took on a more generic connotation because it referred to both sexes while in Italian it was more specifically addressed to homosexual men.Instead, through a correction from a kind reader (Bob) of my wordpress blog, it seems that both terms have exactly the same meaning.

I believe that the Pope told the pure truth albeit in a brutal way. Obviously the next day the Pope had to make a statement in which he apologized for the words used, reiterating that there is room in the church for everyone.

The situation of religious environments
Beyond personal opinions, what is quite true is that if there were no more Gay people in the seminaries, the number of priests would be halved.Now, no one can know what Pope Francis’ true purpose was. What is certain is that he gave the environment a good beating because the declaration had enough resonance and will certainly also have influenced the high officials who manage religious environments, regardless of the subsequent apologies the following day.
Currently the seminaries are lacking in people with vocations and certainly beating the religious environment certainly does not favor its proliferation. But evidently the saying “few but good” applies

The Pope’s integrative culture
Apart from this latest unfortunate exit, it must be said that the Pope has always stood out for good and fair social integration, even putting himself in a bad light towards those faithful who have a “traditionalist” vision and is closed towards people of other sexual tendencies.
Apart from this latest unfortunate exit, it must be said that the Pope has always stood out for good and fair social integration, also putting himself in a bad light towards those faithful who have a “traditionalist” vision and are closed towards people of other sexuality.In 2023 he even stated (giving authorization with a no impediment document) that gays and homosexuals were eligible to receive baptism and even to be godparents, provided they obviously lived a life in conformity with the faith.

The linguistic culture of Pope Francis
After the incredulous statement, many Italian newspapers supported the hypothesis that the pontiff was not aware of the real meaning and offensiveness contained in the term he used in his speech.
Besides the fact that the Pope’s speeches are often also shared with speakers who view the press release, Pope Francis is old enough to know both the dubiousness of certain topics (in all languages) and also specifically Italian terms. As if that wasn’t enough, Pope Francis, in addition to being Argentinian (and therefore Spanish speaking is very close to Italian) is also of Italian origins. In fact, Francesco had grandparents who were Italian and from an early age he learned to know Italian, albeit minimally.Be that as it may, even if the Pope had really been conscious and intending to use the term he used, we can only accept what happened and also accept his subsequent apologies.

[article by Gabriele Romano]