‘The Church Can’t Operate Without Gay Priests’; And More Reactions to Pope’s Use of Slur

Pope Francis speaking at the Salesian Pontifical University in Rome, June 11, 2024

In the weeks since reports broke about Pope Francis using an anti-gay slur, a number of commentaries have tried to make sense of why a pope who has been LGBTQ-friendly, if imperfectly, would make such a retrograde statement. Today’s post features some of those commentaries.

The New York Times surveyed a number of church officials and scholars for an analysis of this question. Several voices identified church teachings on homosexuality as the crux of the problem.

Author Luciano Tirinnanzi, who has written on LGBTQ+ issues in the church, commented: “Until they change the law, as long as homosexuality is viewed as a deviance and an illness, nothing will change under St. Peter’s cupola.” Likewise, former Vatican employee Francesco Lepore, who is gay, said of the language about “disorder” and “tendencies”: “The difficulties, the rifts that the church lives. . .It all comes from there.”

Others in The Times report spoke specifically about gay priests, once again in the spotlight after it was reported—seemingly falsely—that Pope Francis wanted gay men banned from seminaries. Francis DeBernardo, executive director of New Ways Ministry, commented:

“‘The Catholic Church would not be able to operate without its gay priests. That is a simple fact. . .[The pope] needs to clarify his message a little better because it does get confusing. It doesn’t help the situation. It problematizes the situation.'”

Bishop Piero Delbosco of Cuneo, Italy, rejected the idea that the church entirely banned gay men from priesthood, saying what is instructed is to discern during formation whether a seminarian can abide by vows to celibacy or chastity.

Bishop Luigi Mansi of Andria, Italy, agreed with Delbosco, though he further suggested gay men might struggle to remain celibate. About Pope Francis specifically, Mansi argued that the present difficulties are because of the pope’s multilingual work:

“When there are official speeches, he studies, but when he speaks off the cuff, a word that is not entirely ideal can also slip out. . .When he talks, he uses terms that are a mix of Spanish, Argentine, Italian.”

Reuters also provided analysis about the pope’s comments. Citing “friends of the pontiff and top Vatican watchers,” the wire service said this latest controversy “has possibly been the biggest PR disaster of his 11-year papacy,” but “should not obscure his record as a reforming, LGBT-friendly pope.”

Massimo Faggioli, a theologian at Villanova University, Pennsylvania, told Reuters that Francis’ use of the slur undercut the “weight” and “credibility” of papal statements because, online at least, “the pope reduced to a meme, a social media tool for anyone to make jokes about, some very funny, some in very poor taste.” For Faggioli, this result harms not only Francis, but the papacy itself.

Austen Ivereigh, a friend of and biographer for the pope, said that Francis normally speaks “very, very directly” when in private, instead of “like a politician.” Ivereigh, who made clear he was “obviously not justifying his use of an offensive term,” nonetheless discounted claims that Pope Francis was anti-gay.

Fr. James Martin, SJ, author of Building a Bridge, likewise defended the pope, telling Reuters:

“The idea that he would be homophobic makes no sense to me. . .His record on LGBTQ people speaks for itself. No pope has been a greater friend to the LGBTQ community. My sense was that the pope was responding to a question about certain behaviour in Italian seminaries, rather than closing off the priesthood to all gay men.'”

In The Nation, Michael Pettinger, a Catholic scholar and co-editor of Queer Christianities, linked the pope with football player Harrison Butker who gave an anti-LGBTQ+ and sexist commencement speech for Benedictine College in May. The link between the two, Pettinger claims, is not homophobia, but rather fragile masculinity—which also impacts Francis’ negative views about gender identity issues and women’s ordination. The author explains:

“This isn’t to put Francis in the same category as Jordan Peterson, Andrew Tate, and other would-be ‘alpha’ male influencers who haunt TikTok. Francis has little patience for the kind of domineering masculinity they represent. . .[But as] a bishop among bishops, Francis too lives in a world of highly competitive males. We are told that the word frociagginewas introduced into the conversation by other bishops, and that the pontiff was merely echoing them—or, as the kids might say, matching their energy. If, in fact, this was a bit of locker room talk among brother bishops, that would suggest that whatever problems posed by the use of a word like frociaggine extend beyond Francis. Given the opposition he has faced from other clergy in the course of his pontificate, it’s worth asking whether he just didn’t tire of resisting the pressure. . .

“Masculinity is largely a state of fear. . .Maybe the problem isn’t that there’s too much frociaggine going around these days. Maybe there isn’t enough.”

In The Spectator, managing editor Matt McDonald interviewed journalist Frédéric Martel, author of In the Closet of the Vatican, about Pope Francis’ comments regarding gay priests. Martel disagreed with suggestions the pope is homophobic, citing his close personal relationships with gay people, but adds Francis’ understanding of homosexuality is dated, reflective of late 20th century debates during his formative years which leads him to reject activism.  The journalist added:

In America, poetry editor Br. Joe Hoover, SJ, wrote about how his understanding of the pope has evolved with the ups and downs of Francis’ tenure—most recently, not only about LGBTQ+ people, but on women deacons, the war in Ukraine, and criticism of traditionalists.

Hoover notes that he wrote four drafts of the essay he eventually published. The first draftsought to “call the pope out on his verbal indiscretions,”  while in the second he stated that he was “offended and disturbed” by the pope’s “unbelievable” use of a slur. He wrote the third draft from the perspective of “a prosecuting lawyer stringing together evidence, all to paint one clear picture of a Francis who is all but a pontifical bull in a china shop, insensitive to the ways his words and actions have troubled and hurt people.”

Then in the fourth, final draft,  Hoover acknowledges that “a pope is imperfect, and so am I.” Francis is “is going to say ‘off the cuff’ inappropriate things,” and is unlikely to change. Accepting this realization reoriented Hoover to Christ, leading him to conclude:

“Summing up a person by the history of their human errors is simply not an honest way to look at their life. The pope in fact has changed the tone and manner of the church’s approach to the L.G.B.T. community. The pope in fact has spoken words that have been balm of mercy over and over again for millions of people for more than 11 years now. He has been one of the world’s leading and most credible voices against climate change. Pope Francis has advocated for refugees, the poor, the outcast, those abandoned in a ‘throwaway’ society. . .

“When all is said and done, the good that Pope Francis does will not be overshadowed by these sad remarks. He will still be remembered as a voice of mercy and hope for people the world over.”

AJ McDougall of the Daily Beast offered a brief, tongue-in-cheek prayer on the matter: “God grant Pope Francis the serenity to stop using homophobic slurs in polite company.”