A few weeks after apologising for using a highly offensive word about gay men, the Pope has allegedly used the same word again. Pope Francis first made the remark in a closed-door meeting with bishops in the last month, when referring to priesthood colleges as too full of ” frociaggine” an absolutely offensive Italian term.

ANSA news agency reiterated that the Pope repeated the slur on Tuesday during a meeting with Roman Priests when he said that there’s “an air of frociaggine” in the Vatican adding that it’s better that young men with a homosexual tendency to be barred from the seminary.

When asked to respond to the latest report, the Vatican reiterated in a statement that had been issued concerning Tuesday’s meeting with the priests, in which the Pope asserted the need to welcome homosexuals into the church and the need for caution concerning them becoming priests.

During the May 20 meeting that took place behind closed doors, the Pope is said to have reiterated that gay men should not be allowed to become priests.

In a statement that followed the meeting, the Vatican asserted, “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, and 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.”

Messaggero,a national paper based in Rome revealed that the Pope’s comments came during an informal Q& A session during the annual bishops’ meeting that was attended by more than 200 clergy members.

Individuals who sought to defend His Holiness have revealed that Spanish and not Italian is the Pope’s first language adding that the Pope made linguistic gaffes in the past when he was speaking in a different language other than his mother tongue.

The Pope has been credited with leading the Roman Catholic Church into taking a more welcoming approach towards the LGBT+ community in his 11-year papacy. In 2013, he shared,  “If a person is gay and seeks God and has good will, who am I to judge?”

Last year, the pope allowed priests to bless same-sex couples a thing that triggered a conservative backlash. In 2018, he asked Italian bishops to vet priesthood applicants and rejected any individuals suspected of being gay.