Despite his previous statements against LGBTQ individuals in religious leadership roles, Pope Francis has been known for offering a more welcoming approach towards the community.
He reportedly advised the bishops not to admit homosexual men into seminaries and used the term 'frociaggine' which translates to 'faggotry' in English.
Pope Francis allegedly used derogatory slurs against LGBTQ people during a private meeting with Italian bishops on May 20, 2023.
Pope Francis, the 87-year-old leader of the Catholic Church, found himself at the center of controversy after reports emerged that he allegedly used derogatory slurs for LGBTQ people during a closed-door meeting with Italian bishops on May 20, 2023. According to multiple sources including Corriere della Sera and La Repubblica newspapers, Francis advised the bishops not to admit homosexual men into seminaries and reportedly used the term 'frociaggine,' which translates to 'faggotry' in English.
The incident took place during discussions on proposed amendments to guidelines for candidates seeking entry into seminaries. The Vatican ruled in 2005 that the church cannot allow the ordination of men who are actively gay or have deep-seated homosexual tendencies. In 2016, Francis upheld this ruling and told Italian bishops not to accept gay candidates for the priesthood.
Despite his previous statements against LGBTQ individuals in religious leadership roles, Pope Francis has been known for offering a more welcoming approach towards the community. He famously said 'who am I to judge?' when asked about gay priests and even offered the possibility that priests could offer informal blessings for same-sex couples.
However, these recent allegations have sparked outrage among progressive supporters of the Pope who argue that his reported language at this private meeting contradicts his public stance towards LGBTQ individuals. Some sources claim that he used derogatory language on more than one occasion during the meeting.
Pope Francis reportedly used derogatory term 'frociaggine' during a private meeting with Italian Bishops regarding allowing gay men to train for priesthood.
The Pope's comments were first conveyed to Italian tabloid website, Dagospia, and later confirmed by other Italian news agencies.
Some outlets report that the Pope also said that gay people needed kicking out of seminaries whether they acted on their sexual tendencies or not.
Accuracy
Pope Francis reportedly used derogatory term 'frociaggine' during a private meeting with Italian Bishops.
He advised bishops not to admit homosexual men into seminaries
Deception
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Fallacies
(80%)
The author reports on the Pope's alleged use of a derogatory term for gay people. While the author does not make any fallacious statements themselves, they do report on others making such statements. The Pope's reported comments could be considered an appeal to authority fallacy if taken out of context, as they are being presented as definitive evidence of his attitude towards gay people without further context or clarification from the Pope himself. Additionally, the author uses inflammatory rhetoric in describing the term as 'extremely derogatory' and 'highly offensive', which could be seen as an attempt to elicit an emotional response from readers.
The Pope is reported to have used extremely derogatory language
He not only shot that down in no uncertain terms at the conference, but some news agencies report that he used derogatory language on more than one occasion
Bias
(50%)
The author reports that Pope Francis used a derogatory term for gay people during a private meeting. This reporting is biased as it implies that the use of this term is unacceptable and offensive, without providing any context or explanation as to why this term is considered derogatory in the first place. The author also expresses shock at the Pope's reported language and suggests that it goes against his previous public statements supporting respect for gay people.
Some outlets report that the Pope also said that gay people needed kicking out of seminaries
The Pope is reported to have used extremely derogatory language
There has been shock at the Pope’s reported language
Pope Francis allegedly used a derogatory slur to refer to LGBTQ people in conversations with bishops
He advised bishops not to admit homosexual men into seminaries
Accuracy
Francis repeated his opposition to openly gay men joining priest training colleges.
Deception
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Fallacies
(90%)
The author is reporting on an allegation made by unnamed sources about Pope Francis' use of a derogatory term. The author does not make any fallacious statements themselves, but the article does contain potential appeals to authority as it relies on unnamed sources for its information.
The author reports that 'media including Corriere della Sera and Repubblica reported late Monday citing sources who attended the closed-door meeting'
Bias
(50%)
The author uses the term 'very offensive word' to describe the Pope's alleged use of a derogatory slur for LGBTQ people. This language implies that there is something inherently wrong or extreme about the term, and it could be perceived as biased.
The Pope allegedly labeled gay men with a very offensive word
Pope Francis used the derogatory Roman term ‘frociaggine’ during a private meeting with Italian bishops.
The term translates loosely as the offensive English words ‘faggots’ or ‘poofs’.
Francis repeated his opposition to openly gay men joining priest training colleges.
He joked that there were ‘already too many frociaggine in some seminaries’.
Accuracy
Pope Francis used the derogatory Roman term 'frociaggine' during a private meeting with Italian bishops.
He joked that there were 'already too many frociaggine in some seminaries'.
Deception
(50%)
The author makes editorializing statements by reporting the 'offensive' nature of the word used by the Pope and implying that it was a joke. The article also engages in selective reporting by only mentioning the offensive comment made by the Pope without providing context or balance.
The pope was reported to have used the derogatory Roman term ‘frociaggine’, which translates loosely as the offensive English words ‘faggots’ or ‘poofs’.
But official church doctrine still states same-sex acts are 'intrinsically disordered'.
Fallacies
(85%)
The author reports on the Pope using a derogatory term for gay men during a private meeting with Italian bishops. This is an example of an appeal to authority fallacy as the author is reporting on the Pope's use of this term without providing any context or justification for why this term is offensive or why it matters that he used it. Additionally, there are dichotomous depictions in the article as it portrays the Pope both as being open to all, including LGBTQ believers and blessing gay couples, but also opposing openly gay men joining priest training colleges and using a derogatory term for them during a private meeting.
The Pope used the derogatory Roman term 'frociaggine', which translates loosely as the offensive English words 'faggots' or 'poofs'.
But official church doctrine still states same-sex acts are 'intrinsically disordered'.
Bias
(80%)
The author reports that Pope Francis used a derogatory term for gay men during a private meeting with Italian bishops. The term 'frociaggine' translates to offensive English words 'faggots' or 'poofs'. The author also mentions that the pope has previously insisted on an open Catholic Church for all, including LGBTQ believers, but official church doctrine still states same-sex acts are 'intrinsically disordered'. This creates a conflict between the Pope's actions and words towards the LGBTQ community.
But official church doctrine still states same-sex acts are 'intrinsically disordered'.
The 87-year-old pontiff was reported to have used the derogatory Roman term ‘frociaggine’, which translates loosely as the offensive English words ‘faggots’ or ‘poofs’.
Pope Francis allegedly made homophobic comments during a closed-door meeting with Italian bishops on May 20, 2023.
The Pope reportedly told the bishops not to allow gay men to train for the priesthood.
Two Italian newspapers, Corriere della Sera and La Repubblica, claimed that the Pope used the term ‘frociaggine’, which translates to ‘faggotry’ in English.
Accuracy
No Contradictions at Time
Of
Publication
Deception
(30%)
The article reports on allegations that Pope Francis made a homophobic slur during a closed-door meeting. While the authors do not make any editorializing or pontification statements themselves, they do report on the alleged offensive language used by the Pope without providing any context as to whether he intended it as such or not. This selective reporting of details that support the allegation against Francis is deceptive and warrants a score of 30.
The newspapers claimed the Pope had said there is “frociaggine” which translates in English to “faggotry” in some of the seminaries.
The Corriere della Sera and La Repubblica newspapers reported Monday that the Pope had made the comments while meeting with Italian bishops on May 20.
Fallacies
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Bias
(80%)
The authors use language that depicts the Pope's alleged comments as extreme or offensive without providing any context as to why this language is considered homophobic in the Italian culture. They also quote a source from one of the newspapers stating that the remark was met with incredulous laughter by the bishops, which could suggest that it may not have been intended as a slur.
The Corriere della Sera newspaper stated that the Argentine pope, who speaks Italian as a second language, may not have been aware of how offensive his language was.
The Pope allegedly told Italian bishops to not permit gay men to train for the priesthood, with two Italian newspapers claiming that the 87-year-old pontiff made a homophobic slur in a closed-door meeting last week.
