The Vatican has apologised after the Pope used a highly offensive word about gay men.

In a statement, it said: “Pope Francis is aware of the articles recently published about a conversation, behind closed doors, with the bishops of the CEI [the Italian Episcopal Conference of Catholic bishops].

“As he stated on several occasions, ‘In the Church there is room for everyone, for everyone! Nobody is useless, nobody is superfluous, there is room for everyone. Just as we are, all of us.’

“The Pope never intended to offend or express himself in homophobic terms, and he apologises to those who felt offended by the use of a term reported by others.”

Francis made the remark in a closed-door meeting with bishops, when describing priesthood colleges as already too full of “frociaggine” – a highly offensive Italian slur.

He is said to have reiterated that gay men should not be allowed to become priests.

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The remark was reportedly made on 20 May, as first reported by political gossip website Dagospia, when the Italian Bishops Conference held a private meeting with the Pope.

“It’s all the fault of some bishop who broke his mandate of silence to report the gaffe that occurred last week,” reported Il Messaggero, a national paper based in Rome.

According to the paper, the Pope’s comments came during an informal Q&A session at the annual bishops’ meeting which was attended by more than 200 members of the clergy.

Some seeking to defend His Holiness have said that Spanish and not Italian is his first language, and the Pope has made linguistic gaffes in the past when speaking in a language other than his mother tongue.

The 87-year-old Argentinian often speaks informally, jokes using slang and even swears in private, according to reports.

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The Pope has been credited with leading the Roman Catholic Church into taking a more welcoming approach towards the LGBT+ community.

At the start of his papacy in 2013, he said: “If a person is gay and seeks God and has good will, who am I to judge?”

Last year, he allowed priests to bless same-sex couples, triggering significant conservative backlash.

But in 2018, he told Italian bishops to carefully vet priesthood applicants and reject anyone suspected of being gay.

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In a 2005 document, during Benedict XVI’s papacy, the Vatican said the church could admit into the priesthood those who had overcome gay tendencies for at least three years.

But the document also said those with “deep-seated” gay tendencies and those who “support the so-called gay culture” should be barred.

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