Last week, the Vatican’s spokesperson had to issue a very weird and vague apology on behalf of Pope Francis. You see, Franny was in a closed-door meeting with Italian bishops, and the discussion turned to how Franny wished there was some way to stop homosexuals from joining the priesthood. The pope used the word “frociaggine” to describe gay men. It’s not exactly a straight translation of the f-slur in English, apparently it’s more like an adjective, if you understand. Well, as it turns out, at a different meeting around the same time, Pope Francis was wildly sexist. He told a group of young priests that “gossip is a women’s thing…We wear the trousers, we have to say things.” My dude, you wear a dress and you love to gossip, and you surround yourself with people who love to gossip. Let’s dial all of this down several notches.
The leader of the Catholic church, typically lauded for his modern leanings, allegedly made a sexist remark about women just two days after dropping a homophobic f-slur behind closed doors in Rome, according to the Vatican news outlet Silere Non Possum.
Pope Francis allegedly warned a group of young priests in a different closed-door meeting on Thursday against badmouthing parishioners and others—a reasonable piece of advice, if woefully ironic, as it came so soon after the f-slur reveal. Unfortunately, the pope also reinforced misogynistic stereotypes about women in his choice of words: “Gossip is a women’s thing,” he reportedly told the group of priests. “We wear the trousers, we have to say things.”
Marco Perfetti, the director of Silere Non Possum, claimed to have audio recording of the pontiff making the cringe-worthy remarks and said multiple sources confirmed the pope’s comments. An apology may be forthcoming—on Tuesday, Francis had to apologize for using the Italian slur “frociaggine” during a discussion about possibly allowing gay men in seminaries.
Beyond the fact that it’s the damn POPE saying this sh-t, it always irritates me when men dismiss “gossip” as solely a female purview. Men gossip. Men LOVE gossip. MEN LOVE TO GOSSIP. Within the past month, one of the biggest stories in music/entertainment was Kendrick Lamar and Drake spilling tea about each other in songs and let me tell you, their male fans loved every minute of it and those guys were suddenly all gossip scholars when it came to rap beef history. It’s especially rich for Pope Franny to say this sh-t dismissively – “don’t gossip like those weak-minded women” – when he was literally just gossiping about all of the gay clergy!
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square for the weekly general audience. Vatican City, April 24, 2024.,Image: 867566988, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Riccardo De Luca / AGF Foto / Avalon 
Pope Francis presides over the Second Vespers of the solemnity of the Ascension of Jesus Christ. The Protonotary apostolic Mons. Vatican City, 09 May 2024,Image: 871656526, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Maria Laura Antonelli / AGF Foto / Avalon 
Pope Francis participates in the States General of Birth, Rome Italy 10 May 2024,Image: 871670584, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Francesco Fotia / AGF Foto / Avalon
Pope Francis during the weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican. 22 May 2024,Image: 875403020, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Maria Laura Antonelli / AGF Foto / Avalon 
Pope Francis during the weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican. 22 May 2024,Image: 875403340, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Maria Laura Antonelli / AGF Foto / Avalon 
Pope Francis participated in the closing session of the “International Meeting of Sense” organized by the Scholas Occurrentes in the New Synod Hall. Vatican City 23 May 2024,Image: 876068881, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Maria Laura Antonelli / AGF Foto / Avalon
Children from all over the world at the Olympic Stadium on the occasion of World Children’s Day in Rome. Tens of thousands of children flocked to Rome for World Children’s Day, organized by the Dicastery for Culture and Education at the behest of Pope Francis. Rome, Italy 25 May 2024,Image: 876391712, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Maria Laura Antonelli / AGF Foto / Avalon 
Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square for the weekly general audience. Vatican City 29 May 2024.,Image: 877364268, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Maria Laura Antonelli / AGF Foto / AvalonncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pLHLnpmirJOdxm%2BvzqZmcW9kZ4F0e8%2Bop56Xlqeur6%2FIrJatp4%2Blv6qx0q2qmJ%2BfqMCqvL6iqpiZj6y8rrHNrJatoJmjtKDDxJiunpmilMGpsb6tqaito5q%2FtHs%3D