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Pope uses homophobic slur in meeting with bishops — reports (www.dw.com)

submitted 5 months ago by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/world@lemmy.world

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Italian media has said that the pope used a highly derogatory slur against LGBTQ+ people at a bishops conference. The remark may sour attempts by the pope to make the church more welcoming.

Pope Francis allegedly used a highly offensive term to refer to LGBTQ+ people during a closed-door meeting with Italian bishops, Italian media reported on Tuesday.

The major Italian daily newspapers La Repubblica and Corriere della Sera both cited anonymous sources as saying that the pope had made the remark while reiterating his position against gay people becoming priests.

The 87-year-old pontiff was reported as saying that the Catholic seminaries were already too full of "frociaggine" — a highly derogatory term in Italian.

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[-] OutlierBlue@lemmy.ca 126 points 5 months ago

It's interesting that we have documented cases of homosexuality in thousands of different species, and yet not a single other species that practices Catholicism.

Being gay is more natural than being Catholic.

[-] megane_kun@lemm.ee 53 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

There's this saying “a fish is caught through its mouth,” and this is an illustration of what it means. This pope might present this ‘cool’, ‘modern’ image to the public, but his words spoken in private amongst his peers reveals his real stance about these things.

Edit:‌ proofreading.

[-] CatZoomies@lemmy.world 49 points 5 months ago

Former Catholic, now atheist. I’m glad the Pope is making some progressive steps in the Catholic Church including the LGTBQ+ community.

I hope this was a misstep, and the case of a 90-year old man from a different country using language that he was not aware is a slur. I really really hope that, or else all that good will was for nothing.

[-] Gradually_Adjusting@lemmy.world 19 points 5 months ago

Don't hold out hope

[-] BruceTwarzen@kbin.social 13 points 5 months ago

I'm so glad the pedophile ring is invluding the lgtbq+ community. They are so nice and progressive. If i were gay, the first thing i'd wish for is that the pedos like me.

[-] afraid_of_zombies@lemmy.world 5 points 5 months ago

I "meet" a gay religious Catholic once online and my brain is still recovering from it.

Why? Why? It makes no sense.

[-] kux@lemm.ee 4 points 5 months ago

Get raised catholic, turn out gay. What's to make sense of? Lots of religious followers cherry pick the bits of text they like and disregard the rest, why should gays be any more rational?

[-] afraid_of_zombies@lemmy.world 4 points 5 months ago

I can't think of a single institution that has done as much damage to the LGBT as the RCC.

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[-] SqueakyBeaver@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 5 months ago

When seemingly everyone in your life is telling you lies about "oh we just hate the sin, not the sinner", it's really hard to see it for what it is That and some very specific parts of Catholicism and Christianity in general are very comforting. Also, if you were born into it, breaking away could mean losing everyone close to you or having to put up with people trying to convert you back

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[-] gregorum@lemm.ee 39 points 5 months ago

[removed by mod]

[-] NOT_RICK@lemmy.world 21 points 5 months ago

Italian isn’t his first language, so it’s possible, but I’m not giving him the benefit of the doubt.

[-] gregorum@lemm.ee 30 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

All things considered, I am. He’s old, Italian isn’t his first language, and he has a history of progressive changes in favor of the lgbtq+ community. I’m more inclined to believe it was a mistake than to think it was intentional or malicious. Especially given how quickly an apology has been issued.

[-] bisby@lemmy.world 16 points 5 months ago

the pope had made the remark while reiterating his position against gay people becoming priests.

It doesn't matter what word he used, he was using it in an anti LGBT sentiment.

The 87-year-old pontiff was reported as saying that the Catholic seminaries were already too full of .. gay men.

Here, I removed the slur. This isn't any better. Italian fluency wasn't the problem and didn't change his argument.

[-] gregorum@lemm.ee 7 points 5 months ago

It doesn’t matter what word he used, he was using it in an anti LGBT sentiment.

i think it does matter wrt what he actually said or intended to say. whether he's being homophobic in his position regard gay clergy isn't a matter of debate: he is.

the issue is that he claims not to have intended to use an offensive term, and apologizes for the offense cause by the term. That i'm willing to believe. i'm not debating his gay clergy policy, which i obviously agree is bigoted.

[-] bisby@lemmy.world 5 points 5 months ago

You're right, it's very likely he wasn't intending to use a slur. But it seems to me like a lot of the reporting is "he didn't mean to disrespect people!" when that's not the case. The pope's intentions were absolutely to disrespect people, just by his actions, and not by that specific word. the specific phrasing he used to do so doesn't really matter.

[-] nefonous@lemmy.world 10 points 5 months ago

That specific word in Italian has multiple meanings, one of which being something like "excessive/useless detail or addition, especially when done for the cool factor only" and another being "gayness".

Without the full context of the sentence, it's very hard to say what he meant or what he was saying.

Of course the word is still originating from the slur and shouldn't be used by the pope, but it's technically possible that wasn't even used in relation to any minority (just as much as the opposite)

Unless I missed some extra info or source that has the full context, it's hard to say

[-] dream_weasel@sh.itjust.works 17 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

Intentional? Or old man being old?

[-] jet@hackertalks.com 31 points 5 months ago

The dude is ancient; half his vocabulary as a child is probably a slur by this point.

[-] Dagwood222@lemm.ee 19 points 5 months ago

This is something more people need to remember.

The level of casual racism and sexism in the past is staggering when looked at from today, but was no big deal at the time.

"Mr. Mom" a movie about the insane idea of having a man doing childcare, came out in 1983.

"Fu Manchu" with Peter Sellers doing yellowface came out in 1980.

[-] JoMiran@lemmy.ml 8 points 5 months ago

For context the gap between "Mr. Mom" and The Dark Knight is 25 years. The gap between The Mummy and today is 25 years.

[-] captain_aggravated@sh.itjust.works 4 points 5 months ago

Yeah I don't know if you could make Three Men And A Baby today because the premise "lol men doing childcare, amirite? This is gonna be gold" just isn't funny anymore. Millennial men are much more active and engaged fathers than previous generations.

It might be nicely subversive to make a modern reboot of Three Men And A Baby that's just Clerks but one of them has his son in a thing on his chest. Three 30 year old men competently care for an infant without incident while sharing pithy if relatable dialog.

[-] Dagwood222@lemm.ee 3 points 5 months ago

People always say that satire is dead, but they don't realize that it took subversive with it.

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[-] dream_weasel@sh.itjust.works 3 points 5 months ago

At least.

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[-] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 15 points 5 months ago

But I guarantee people will still call him "Cool Pope."

It's all been an act.

[-] JoMiran@lemmy.ml 17 points 5 months ago

He is the "cool pope"... when compared the literal Nazi one before him or the sexual predator protecting one before that. They are all horrible, this one happens to be the least horrible in a long time...possibly ever. Less horrible is still horrible.

[-] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 9 points 5 months ago

That's like saying Kim Jong-Un is the "Cool North Korean Dictator." It really doesn't mean much.

[-] JoMiran@lemmy.ml 8 points 5 months ago

Exactly.

[-] beefbot@lemmy.blahaj.zone 3 points 5 months ago

“The one who protected sexual predators” really doesn’t narrow it down 🙃

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[-] Cano@lemm.ee 12 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

For those wondering, the word can be roughly translated in english as ::: spoiler Faggotry :::

Esit: can't figure out how to mark something as spoiler correctly

[-] A_A@lemmy.world 12 points 5 months ago

Noun - - frociaggine - - (plural frociaggini)

(...)

(vulgar, derogatory) f a g g o t r y

...
https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/frociaggine

[-] NOT_RICK@lemmy.world 8 points 5 months ago

FYI I think your reply is getting automatically censored due to the slur even though you’re just trying to provide context

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[-] hamFoilHat@lemmy.world 12 points 5 months ago

So, instead of saying, "Catholic seminaries were already too full of [bundle of sticks]" instead he meant to say that "Catholic seminaries were already too full of homosexuals". I'm not sure fixing the one word helps his message or is actually even the problem.

The term he used is being censored on here so I used a substitute.

[-] Phegan@lemmy.world 11 points 5 months ago

The woke pope ain't that woke

[-] mojofrododojo@lemmy.world 6 points 5 months ago

well, compared to the last hitler youth....

[-] Gennadios@lemmy.world 10 points 5 months ago

This really isnt any different than Grandpa calling the cashier at the Piggly Wiggly a 'colored'.

[-] BarrelAgedBoredom@lemm.ee 8 points 5 months ago

The leader of an oppressive organized religion? Using slurs? Say it ain't so!

[-] Fades@lemmy.world 7 points 5 months ago

FUCK THE POPE, the old geriatric fuck.

[-] Macaroni_ninja@lemmy.world 4 points 5 months ago

I heard many bishops were offended and took it as a personal attack.

[-] Omgboom@lemmy.zip 3 points 5 months ago

Yes, that slur lol

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[-] Bluefalcon@discuss.tchncs.de 3 points 5 months ago

Few things, 1 He has done a lot for the LGBTQ community when it comes to the church ( allows the community to be blessed in church, supporting them to join the church).

2 I'm sure these was released by a "concerned" bishop instead of someone pissed at him.

3 Fuck all religion but the leaders need to follow his public example and support the LGBTQ community. Instead they stoke the flames. Be as rasicts, homophobic, or whatever as you want in your private life, I dont give 2 fucks. This coming from someone that looks white but is mix and grew up in Tennessee. Its when they try and push their shit on everyone else that i have an issue.

[-] Fades@lemmy.world 3 points 5 months ago

wow he's so great, he let's LGBTQ people exist in the church's vicinity.

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[-] skozzii@lemmy.ca 2 points 5 months ago

I see no problem in our current strategy of letting senile old people run the world....

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this post was submitted on 28 May 2024

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