It's time Pope Francis learned the dangers of careless talk

The Pope is Christ’s vicar on earth, the spiritual head of the Church. But this Pope can also be humanly indiscreet and imprudent.

Francis has had to make an apology to homosexuals after an expression he used in a closed meeting with Italian bishops - "frociaggine" - roughly equivalent to the English slang "faggotry" was leaked to a gossip website, Dagospia; he used it in connection with the question of whether gay men should be admitted to seminaries. Naturally, homosexuals were unimpressed.

The Vatican’s apology was clear: Matteo Bruni, the director of the Vatican's press office, said Francis was aware of the newspaper reports about the closed-door conversation and "apologises to those who felt offended by the use of the term, reported by others".