Pope Francis said sorry for using a bad word to talk about gay men while discussing the Catholic Church‘s rule against gay priests.
Vatican spokesperson Matteo Bruni said that they know there has been a lot of talk in the media about what Pope Francis said to Italian bishops on May 20.
Italian bishops were quoted by the media as saying that Pope Francis used the word “faggotness” as a joke during a conversation in Italian. He used the word to say the Vatican still doesn’t allow gay men to become priests.
Bruni said that Francis knew about the reports and remembered that the pope from Argentina has always said that there is space for everyone in the Catholic Church, especially LGBTQ2S+ Catholics.
“The pope didn’t mean to hurt anyone or say anything against gay people, and he’s sorry if anyone was upset by what he said,” Bruni explained.
Francis was speaking to a group of Italian bishops who had just agreed on a new plan for teaching future priests in Italy. The document is not published yet because it is being reviewed by the Holy See. It is said to be trying to make some changes to the Vatican’s rule that gay priests are not allowed.
The Vatican said in 2005 and again in 2016 that the church cannot allow or ordain men who are openly gay or strongly support gay culture.
Francis reiterated his stance in a meeting with Italian bishops on May 20. He joked that there was already a presence of gay men in seminaries. The Italian media reported this, following initial reports from gossip site Dagospia.
Francis does not speak Italian very well, and he has made mistakes in the past when speaking it. The 87-year-old pope from Argentina talks in a relaxed way, jokes using casual language and sometimes uses bad words in private.
He is well-known for reaching out to LGBTQ2S+ Catholics. In 2013, he made a famous comment saying “Who am I to judge” about a priest who was said to have had a gay lover in the past.
Tag: LGBTQ2S+
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Pope Francis issues an apology for using “homophobic terms”
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US issues global notice over potential violence against LGBTQ2S+ group
The US State Department issued a warning about possible attacks on LGBTQ2S+ people and events by terrorist groups. The warning applies to all countries.
The government says Americans living abroad should be extra careful because of the possibility of terrorist attacks or violence against them.
The warning comes two weeks before LGBTQ2S+ Pride Month starts in the United States.
The US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, said that people in the LGBTQ2S+ community still deal with unfair treatment and prejudice. -
LGBTQ2S+ protests scheduled to take in Canada on May 16
Groups all over the Canadian country are getting ready for what they say will be the biggest LGBTQ2S+ movement since the effort for same-sex marriage rights.
Fae Johnstone, who leads the Society of Queer Momentum, says there will be protests in different parts of Canada in May.
The group wants the government to provide money for programs that help LGBTQ2S+ people, and they are working with other organizations to make this happen.
The team has named the campaign the Rainbow Week of Action.
There will be rallies in Toronto on May 16, and in other cities like Calgary, Edmonton, and Ottawa on May 17. More activities are planned for other towns and neighborhoods.
Johnstone believes their message is very important right now because some groups and politicians are sharing false information about the LGBTQ2S+ community to make people angry and cause division.
“It’s time for us to change things. ” It’s time to speak up and ask for a Canada where everyone’s family is treated fairly and has freedom.
Rallies will happen in twelve big cities and towns, Johnstone said, and smaller communities are planning to have shared meals and pizza parties.
“Local event planners and LGBTQ+ groups from each province will bring what their community needs. ” “Soon, there will be rallies in Alberta, New Brunswick, and Saskatchewan to make sure the government is taking action to protect the rights and freedoms of transgender kids,” she said.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith wants to make it harder for young people to get gender-affjsonrming care. She wants to make a law that says teachers have to ask parents for permission before they start calling a child by a different name or pronouns if they’re under 16 years old. If students are 16 or 17, teachers can make decisions without asking the parents, but they have to tell the parents about it.
Last year, Saskatchewan and New Brunswick made a rule that says parents must agree if kids 16 and under want to change their names or how they are called. Protests and legal battles happened after that.
Saskatchewan used a special clause to ignore some rights in order to make the policy a law.
Johnstone said that the rallies also send a message to areas that have been more accepting of trans rights.
“In other provinces where the government is willing to listen, we will continue to work towards our goal and encourage them to invest in what they say they support. “