Pope Francis allegedly uses an offensive slur against gay men

[hollydolly]

Pope Francis has allegedly shocked bishops in Italy by using an offensive slur when saying that homosexual men should not be admitted to church seminaries because there is already 'too much' gay sexual activity.

The pontiff told a closed-door meeting at an episcopal conference at the Vatican that homosexual men should not be allowed into colleges to train for the priesthood, Italian media reports.

Bishops at the meeting were reportedly taken aback by the language the 87-year-old used to make the statement - the derogatory word 'frociaggine', which roughly translates to f*****ry.

The remark was met with 'incredulous laughter', bishops told newspaper Corriere della Sera. They suggested that it was an honest mistake by the Pope, for whom Italian is a second language, and that he did not know how offensive the word was.

The alleged comments, which seem to go against recent moves to amend seminary admission rules, have come as a surprise to some in the church as Francis is known for taking a more liberal view than his predecessors on LGBT rights.


The comments were allegedly made in a closed-door meeting ahead of the conference. Pictured: The opening session of the 79th general assembly of the Italian Bishops Conference

When asked about his views on homosexuality in 2013, he famously said: 'If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?'

Last year, he described laws that criminalise homosexuality as a 'sin' and an 'injustice', and allowed Catholic priests to bless same-sex couples in a significant advance for LGBT rights in the church.

However, the Pope delivered a similar message on gay seminarians - minus the reported swear word - when he met Italian bishops in 2018, telling them to carefully vet priesthood applicants and reject anyone suspected of being homosexual.

Here

 

[davey]

I wonder whether King Charles and the CofE would agree with him?

 

[fuzzybuddy]

Pope Francis is the most gay friendly Pope, ever. I wouldn't get all worked up about one word. In the UK, most people get "knocked up" every morning, which would be scandalous in the US.

 

[hollydolly]

Pope Francis is the most gay friendly Pope, ever. I wouldn't get all worked up about one word. In the UK, most people get "knocked up" every morning, which would be scandalous in the US.

that's a tired old fallacy.... the only people we ever hear say that are Americans about the British... being knocked up in the UK is an old saying for getting pregnant.... just the same as it means everywhere else...

 

[dilettante]

In Other News: Out of work cabbie seen scratching his butt!

 

[Jace]

'freudian slip'?

 

[StarSong]

that's a tired old fallacy.... the only people we ever hear say that are Americans about the British... being knocked up in the UK is an old saying for getting pregnant.... just the same as it means everywhere else...

I feel you on that one, @hollydolly. I moved to CA from New Jersey. The number of people here who said, "Oh, you're from Joisey!?!" fairly astounded me.

Eventually I responded with, "You Californians have such a weird speech impediment - I've never heard New Jersey pronounced that way until I moved here."

It shut them up in a hurry.

The truth is that I really NEVER did hear anyone who lived there pronounce it that way.

 

[Trish]

Pope Francis is the most gay friendly Pope, ever. I wouldn't get all worked up about one word. In the UK, most people get "knocked up" every morning, which would be scandalous in the US.

that's a tired old fallacy.... the only people we ever hear say that are Americans about the British... being knocked up in the UK is an old saying for getting pregnant.... just the same as it means everywhere else...

"Knocked up" every morning! What, before you've brushed your teeth and had a cup of tea! I say, not very British

 

[Paladin1950]

Pope Francis is the most gay friendly Pope, ever. I wouldn't get all worked up about one word. In the UK, most people get "knocked up" every morning, which would be scandalous in the US.

Knocked up.

slang. to make a woman pregnant: You don't want to get knocked up by some guy you hardly know. knock-up.
How does one get knocked up every morning? I've heard of a lot of young American girls that have been knocked up before they should have been.

 

[CallMeKate]

that's a tired old fallacy.... the only people we ever hear say that are Americans about the British... being knocked up in the UK is an old saying for getting pregnant.... just the same as it means everywhere else...

I have to admit, I've never heard another meaning for "knocked up" ... about the British or anyone else. What is it people think it means besides being pregnant?

 

[Murrmurr]

Jeezes.

If he quoted actual scripture on homosexuality, everyone in the pertinent community would have to run to their safe place.

 

[Trish]

I have to admit, I've never heard another meaning for "knocked up" ... about the British or anyone else. What is it people think it means besides being pregnant?

Is it the same as a "knocker upper"?

Knocker Uppers worked mainly in northern mill towns or in the London docks where workers worked shifts or unusual hours and needed waking up. They would tap on your window. They usually used long poles or sticks similar to fishing rods although some used soft hammers, rattles and even pea shooters.

A famous London knocker-up was Mary Smith who used a pea shooter and would charge you sixpence a week for her wake-up calls.

There's even a knocker-up tongue twister:

We had a knocker-up, and our knocker-up had a knocker-up
And our knocker-up's knocker-up didn't knock our knocker up
So our knocker-up didn't knock us up
'Cos his not up
​

 

[hollydolly]

Is it the same as a "knocker upper"?

Knocker Uppers worked mainly in northern mill towns or in the London docks where workers worked shifts or unusual hours and needed waking up. They would tap on your window. They usually used long poles or sticks similar to fishing rods although some used soft hammers, rattles and even pea shooters.

A famous London knocker-up was Mary Smith who used a pea shooter and would charge you sixpence a week for her wake-up calls.

There's even a knocker-up tongue twister:

We had a knocker-up, and our knocker-up had a knocker-up
And our knocker-up's knocker-up didn't knock our knocker up
So our knocker-up didn't knock us up
'Cos his not up
​

this was in the 18 and 19th centuries... when people didn't have alarm clocks or servants to wake them

 

[hollydolly]

I feel you on that one, @hollydolly. I moved to CA from New Jersey. The number of people here who said, "Oh, you're from Joisey!?!" fairly astounded me.

Eventually I responded with, "You Californians have such a weird speech impediment - I've never heard New Jersey pronounced that way until I moved here."

It shut them up in a hurry.

The truth is that I really NEVER did hear anyone who lived there pronounce it that way.

...and @Lewkat has said the same thing here in the past too....

 

[Murrmurr]

this was in the 18 and 19th centuries... when people didn't have alarm clocks or servants to wake them

There's lore in my family that my paternal great-uncle was a knocker-upper when he was 13 or 14, and when the person he had to knock up lived on a 2nd or 3rd level apartment, he had to use a 10 foot pole.
(to knock on their window)

 

[dilettante]

I feel you on that one, @hollydolly. I moved to CA from New Jersey. The number of people here who said, "Oh, you're from Joisey!?!" fairly astounded me.

Eventually I responded with, "You Californians have such a weird speech impediment - I've never heard New Jersey pronounced that way until I moved here."

It shut them up in a hurry.

The truth is that I really NEVER did hear anyone who lived there pronounce it that way.

Pretty sure Bugs Bunny pronounced it that way at times.

 

[hollydolly]

There's lore in my family that my paternal great-uncle was a knocker-upper when he was 13 or 14, and when the person he had to knock up lived on a 2nd or 3rd level apartment, he had to use a 10 foot pole.
(to knock on their window)

they used to use 10 foot poles anyway.....

 

[dilettante]

And they say the Dutch are tall!

 

[Murrmurr]

And they say the Dutch are tall!

But not as tall as Bigfoot.

 

[Trish]

I first heard of knocker-uppers from a neighbour who's family had all worked on the docks and they actually had knocker-uppers to wake them up. I hadn't realised though, until I watched this video, that sometimes local policemen would do the job on their early morning rounds to supplement their pay.

 

[VintageBetter]

And.....this is why I'm not Catholic - the whole Pope, nuns and priest thing. None of it makes any sense to me. Many people will condemn him but many more people will take his words to be signs from God. It's a big ol' bureaucracy and he's the CEO. It's all just strange to me.

But, some of my best friends have been Catholic. I like them as people, but I will never be able to join their church. It's OK. To each their own.

 

[feywon]

The first i heard about this was when i stumbled across this video last night after returning from shopping trip to to the city. He apologized and it was noted here as in the article posted in OP that the Bishops felt he said it jokingly and the fact that Italian is not his first language was a factor in his not realizing how offensive the term apparently is. Of course.some of those Bishops struggle with Pope Francis' more liberal views on several things, including homosexuality.

Edit, forgot to attach video:

 

[VintageBetter]

It's not just the term, which is bad enough, it's the CONTEXT in which he used it. He was saying there are already too many gay men seeking to become priests.

Pope apologizes after being quoted using vulgar term about gay men in talk about ban on gay priests

Both the context and the term are pretty awful. I'm walking away from this argument now. Not my problem. The Catholics can fight about it amongst themselves.

 

[CallMeKate]

It's not just the term, which is bad enough, it's the CONTEXT in which he used it. He was saying there are already too many gay men seeking to become priests.

Absolutely right... if it fit in the context, it sure sounds as if he at least knew the word and what he was saying. I'll tell ya why this whole thing bothers me, @VintageBetter ... hearing excuses made for this guy... he's old, he didn't know the language, yadda yadda. BUT if any of our politicians... or conservative actors, sports figures, etc. had said the very same thing, they would be crucified and "cancelled." I'm not Catholic, but I'd like to think I would see the same hypocrisy even if I were.

 

[StarSong]

All matters considered, Francis has been a pretty good, forward looking pope. Given the ugly history of the church and the open secret of massive homosexuality and pedophilia within the ranks of a priesthood that's sworn to celibacy, I understand his remarks.

Of course, a better way to solve this is to open up the priesthood to women, and to remove the archaic celibacy requirement by permitting priests to be married.

Denying fundamental biology is a recipe for disaster as the headlines and lawsuits have demonstrated repeatedly.

Prisons have mostly heterosexual populations, but consensual se*ual relationships within are fairly common, i.e., "gay for the stay." True of men's and women's prisons.