Pope Francis is alleged to have told a group of young priests that “gossip is a women’s thing”, two days after he apologised for using a homophobic slur.
The remark was allegedly made during a closed-door meeting on Thursday with a group of newly ordained priests in Rome, according to a story published on Il Silere Non Possum, a website dedicated to Vatican news, and then reported by several mainstream Italian newspapers and news agencies.
The pontiff, 87, is reported to have advised the priests against “badmouthing” in parishes and congregations, before allegedly saying: “Gossip is a women’s thing.” He is alleged to have added: “We wear the trousers, we have to say things.”
Marco Perfetti, the director of Il Silere Non Possum, said the site had audio of the discussion, which he claimed was recorded by more than one participant at the event and backed up by sources. “We have the recording of the pope saying this,” he said.
The website claims to offer a “privileged look” at the Vatican and the Catholic church. Much of its coverage is critical.
The Vatican did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In public the pope has spoken favourably about women and encouraged their progress, including by appointing women to top Vatican roles.
In April he said: “Let us pray that the dignity and worth of women be recognised in every culture, and for an end to the discrimination they face in various parts of the world.”
However, in the past he has also made women wince with his words. Addressing nuns in 2013, he said: “Be a mother and not an old maid!”
In 2014 he described the appointment of several women to the Vatican’s international theological commission as “the strawberries on the cake”.
On Tuesday last, Francis issued a rare apology after reports in the Italian press that he had used the Italian homophobic slur “frociaggine” during a discussion with bishops about admitting gay men into seminaries.
He said he never intended to offend or express himself in homophobic terms.