Pope Francis' homophobic slur is being dismissed as no big deal, especially considering most seminaries are mostly made up of gay dudes ... so claims one priest anyway.
00:02 From my perspective, and I should say this, I'm an openly gay man, I've been out in the church, they've tried to get rid of me.
00:08 This is an ambiance I know very, very well indeed, and I think the whole of this is a huge storm in a teacup.
00:15 Because I myself, I give talks on subjects related to this, and I very happily use the word "f***try",
00:23 which I think, rather than "f***tness", which you suggested, I think "f***try" is the kind of word we gay people use
00:29 when we're talking with each other about this kind of thing.
00:31 Now why do I say I think that this whole thing is a huge storm in a teacup?
00:36 Well, first of all, you're the Pope. You're speaking to the Italian bishops in a closed door session.
00:43 Which means automatically you're speaking to a group largely comprised of gay men.
00:48 Automatically. The vast majority of the men in that room are gay.
00:51 That's true with any bishops' conference meeting.
00:54 I know, that's... I'm sorry, we're both just...
00:56 I'm a little surprised at that.
00:57 We're looking at each other like, did we just hear him correctly?
01:00 So you're saying, what you're claiming, Father James, is that most of the bishops,
01:05 whenever there's a meeting of the bishops, that most of them are gay.
01:09 I very, very much doubt that the gay members are in a minority when you're meeting,
01:14 when you're a meeting of gay bishops. I would have said, it tends to be an even higher percentage.
01:19 So automatically, we're in a kind of a Fellini-esque world, where someone is raising the issue of gay seminarians.
01:27 Whether gay seminarians are allowed to join, which theoretically they're not.
01:32 But of course, they always are, because without them there would be no seminarians.
01:37 So you get a bunch of gay men asking something fictitious about a bunch of other gay men,
01:43 where the rule is going to be applied fictitiously.
01:46 And the Holy Father says something to the effect of, there seems to be enough for [bleep] in the seminary anyhow.
01:53 I hear what you're saying, but this is the Vatican and not oil can Harry's.
01:58 And I mean, it's not like a bunch of gay guys are just hanging around riffing on this.
02:05 I mean, this is the Pope talking to bishops.
02:07 And does the Pope know what you're claiming?
02:09 Yes, of course. Anybody who's read, I mean, he knows it better than anybody.
02:13 He has to live with a bunch of them. And he's been perfectly aware in his public comments about this and how the rigid people.
02:20 And remember that, I mean, even if we, when I use this term, there are positive ways of using it when you're amongst friends.
02:27 There are negative ways of using it. And there are ways of using it, like saying, you know, I don't mind you guys being gays, but enough with the [bleep]
02:36 Which is a way of saying, listen, there are certain forms of behavior that is just you being silly queens. Please stop it.
02:42 Why do they rat him out? I mean, if it's just all fun and games, why'd they rat him out?
02:46 Oh, because there are certain people, of course, the deeply pious amongst us, who of course, ever more heterosexual than now, in commas,
02:56 are so likely to be shocked by the Holy Father, obviously treating this matter with a certain lightheartedness,
03:02 but immediately they out him for saying this. It makes much more sense than the puritanical,
03:07 "Oh, the Pope has said a bad word." Think, "Oh, come on, girl. This is ridiculous."
