Connect with us

Published

on

The Pope used a highly offensive word towards gay men as he reaffirmed his stance that they should not be priests, Italian media has reported.

Pope Francis is believed to have made the remark in a closed-door meeting with bishops, according to the country’s largest daily newspapers La Repubblica and Corriere della Sera.

Both quoted the Pope as describing priesthood colleges as already too full of “frociaggine” – a highly offensive Italian slur.

The Vatican has not commented on the reports.

Pope Francis baptises a man during the Easter Vigil in Saint Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, March 30, 2024. REUTERS/Yara Nardi
Image:
Pic: Reuters


The incident is said to have happened on 20 May, as first reported by political gossip website Dagospia, when the Italian Bishops Conference held a private meeting with the Pope.

La Repubblica based its story on several unspecified sources, while Corriere cited unnamed bishops, who suggested the Pope, an Argentinian, might have not realised the Italian term is offensive.

“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 over 200 members of the clergy.

The Pope, 87, has been credited with leading the Roman Catholic Church into taking a more welcoming approach towards the LGBT+ community.

Fears Pope’s good work undone

​When he became Pope, back in 2013, Francis signalled a more tolerant, welcoming attitude to the LGBT+ community, saying: “If a person is gay and seeks God, and has goodwill, who am I to judge?”

He sparked a furious response among some conservative followers by allowing priests to bless same-sex couples last year.

There were whispers that he might be thinking of allowing gay men to become priests, as long as they remained celibate.

Now, that idea has been dismissed, and the Pope’s crude language has reverberated.

Make no mistake – the term allegedly used by Pope Francis is extremely – and obviously – offensive. It seems hard to believe he could have used it by accident.

We are told there is now embarrassment within the Vatican and fear that good work has been undone.

But, a week after he was reported to have used this crude term, the Pope has not issued a statement, much less an apology.

Follow Sky News on WhatsApp
Follow Sky News on WhatsApp

Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News

Tap here

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.

Read more:
Pope makes first visit out of Rome after health scares
Vatican: Sex change operations are ‘grave threats’ to human dignity

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

April: Pope swaps Popemobile for boat

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.

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

Continue Reading

World

Ukraine war: 14 killed as Russian missile and drone attacks strike Kyiv – including American citizen

Published

on

By

Ukraine war: 14 killed as Russian missile and drone attacks strike Kyiv - including American citizen

Russian missile and drone attacks have killed 14 people in Kyiv overnight, according to Ukrainian officials.

A 62-year-old US citizen who suffered shrapnel wounds is among the dead.

At least 99 others were wounded in strikes that hollowed out a residential building and destroyed dozens of apartments.

Emergency workers carry an injured firefighter following Russia's combined missile and drone attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, June 17, 2025
Image:
Pic: AP

Emergency workers were at the scene to rescue people from under the rubble.

Images show a firefighter was among those hurt, with injured residents evacuated from their homes.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the attack as “one of the most terrifying attacks on Kyiv” – and said Russian forces had fired 440 drones and 32 missiles as civilians slept in their homes.

“[Putin] wants the war to go on,” he said. “It is troubling when the powerful of this world turn a blind eye to it.”

Emergency workers evacuate an injured resident following Russia's combined missile and drone attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, June 17, 2025
Image:
Pic: AP

Ukraine’s interior minister, Ihor Klymenko, said 27 locations across the capital have been hit – including educational institutions and critical infrastructure.

He claimed the attack, in the early hours of Tuesday morning, was one of the largest on the capital since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in February 2022.

Drones swarmed over the city, with an air raid alert remaining in force for seven hours.

One person was killed and 17 others injured as a result of separate Russian drone strikes in the port city of Odesa.

Pic: Reuters
Image:
Pic: Reuters

It comes as the G7 summit in Canada continues, which Ukraine’s leader is expected to attend.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy was due to hold talks with Donald Trump – but the president has announced he is unexpectedly returning to Washington because of tensions in the Middle East.

Ukraine’s foreign minister says Moscow’s decision to attack Kyiv during the summit is a signal of disrespect to the US.

Moscow has launched a record number of drones and missiles in recent weeks, and says the attacks are in retaliation for a Ukrainian operation that targeted warplanes in airbases deep within Russian territory.

Kyiv’s mayor Vitali Klitschko says fires broke out in two of the city’s districts as a result of debris from drones shot down by the nation’s air defences.

Read more from Sky News:
New episodes of The Wargame podcast released
US-UK trade deal is ‘done’, Donald Trump says

A multi-storey apartment in Kyiv was struck. Pic: AP
Image:
Pic: AP

On X, Ukraine’s foreign ministry wrote: “Russia’s campaign of terror against civilians continues. Its war against Ukraine escalates with increased brutality.

“The only way to stop Russia is tighter pressure – through sanctions, more defence support for Ukraine, and limiting Russia’s ability to keep sowing war.”

Olena Lapyshnak, who lived in one of the destroyed buildings, said: “It’s horrible, it’s scary, in one moment there is no life. I can only curse the Russians, that’s all I can say. They shouldn’t exist in this world.”

Continue Reading

World

Air India flight from Ahmedabad to London cancelled days after fatal crash

Published

on

By

Air India flight from Ahmedabad to London cancelled days after fatal crash

An Air India flight from Ahmedabad to London has been cancelled.

No explanation has been given for the cancellation so far, Sky News understands.

However, Indian-English language channel CNN News18 reported that the cancellation of the flight, which arrived from Delhi, was due to “technical issues”.

It comes after a UK-bound Air India flight catastrophically crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad airport in western India on Thursday, killing 229 passengers and 12 crew, with one person surviving the crash.

Among the victims were several British nationals, whose deaths in the crash have now been officially confirmed, UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy said as he shared his condolences on X.

Yesterday, an Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner – the same type as the aircraft involved in last week’s tragedy – had to return to Hong Kong mid-flight after a suspected technical issue.

Air India flight 159, which was cancelled on Tuesday, was also a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner.

It was due to depart from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at 1.10pm local time (8.40am UK time). It was set to arrive at London’s Gatwick Airport at 6.25pm UK time.

Air India’s website shows the flight was initially delayed by one hour and 50 minutes before being cancelled.

As a result, passengers have been left stranded at the airport. The next flight from Ahmedabad to London is scheduled for 11.40am local time (7.10am UK time) on Wednesday.

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.

Please refresh the page for the latest version.

You can receive breaking news alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News app. You can also follow us on WhatsApp and subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.

Continue Reading

World

Israeli tank shelling kills 51 people waiting for aid in Khan Younis, Hamas-run health ministry says

Published

on

By

Israeli tank shelling kills 51 people waiting for aid in Khan Younis, Hamas-run health ministry says

Israeli tank shellfire has killed at least 51 Palestinians in Khan Younis, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza.

Hundreds of others have been injured, with “dozens of critical cases” arriving at a medical complex.

It is feared that the number of fatalities will rise.

People react as casualties are brought to hospital. Pic: Reuters
Image:
Pic: Reuters

The strikes took place as people waited for United Nations and commercial aid trucks in the southern Gaza city.

Witnesses said that Israeli forces carried out an airstrike on a nearby home before opening fire toward the crowd.

“Emergency, intensive care, and operating rooms are experiencing severe overcrowding,” a statement said.

Officials say medical staff “are operating with limited supplies of life-saving medicines” – with the ministry renewing an “urgent appeal” to increase aid.

Pic: Reuters
Image:
Pic: Reuters

Hours earlier, Donald Trump had joined other G7 leaders to call for a “de-escalation of hostilities in the Middle East, including a ceasefire in Gaza”.

The Israeli military is yet to comment on this incident.

On Monday, Gaza’s health ministry said at least 34 people were shot dead near food distribution centres.

This was the highest reported daily total since Israel and US-backed aid centres opened last month, with thousands of Palestinians moving through Israeli military-controlled areas to reach them.

Continue Reading

Trending