Pope Francis under fire for again using homophobic slur in closed-door meeting

Pope Francis Accused of , Repeating Homophobic Slur. Last month, Pope Francis used an offensive word to describe gay men while in a closed-door meeting with bishops, NBC News reports. After the news got out, the Vatican issued an apology "to those who were offended.". As he has had the opportunity to state on several occasions, 'In the Church there is room for everyone, for everyone! No one is useless, no one is superfluous, there is room for everyone. Just as we are, everyone.', Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni, via statement. The pope never intended to offend or express himself in homophobic terms, and he extends his apologies to those who were offended by the use of a term, reported by others, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni, via statement. According to Italian news agency ANSA, the pope used the homophobic slur again in another meeting with Roman priests on June 11. . He allegedly used the word while suggesting that gay men should not be allowed in seminaries but should be welcome in the Catholic Church. When asked to comment, the Vatican referred to a previous statement it made regarding the latest meeting. The statement highlighted the pope's desire to welcome "people with homosexual tendencies,". while exercising caution "regarding their entry into the seminary.". The Vatican did not issue another apology