As a gay priest, I was shocked and saddened by the Holy Father’s use of an offensive slur during a discussion with Italian bishops.

A day after news broke that Pope Francis had allegedly used a derogatory word in a private conversation with Italian bishops about gay men applying to Italian seminaries, the Vatican has issued an official response.

Around 200 parish priests met outside Rome last week for an official synod meeting after some members of the 2023 synod assembly said not enough parish priests had been included.

Pope Francis wrote a letter of encouragement to parish priests, who were largely missing from the first synod session.

Largely missing during October synod meetings, over 200 parish priests gather outside Rome for meetings

AI priest “Father Justin,” a chatbot used to answer questions about the Catholic faith, has been renamed “Justin” and swapped out his virtual clerics for a button-down shirt after facing backlash from online users just one day after launching.