‘Room for everyone in the Church’

In response to questions by journalists, the Director of the Holy See Press Office, Matteo Bruni, made the following statement on Tuesday, 28 May:

“Pope Francis is aware of the recent articles regarding a closed-door conversation with the bishops of the cei [Italian Episcopal Conference]. As he has stated on many occasions, ‘There is room for everyone in the Church, for everyone! No one is useless; no one is superfluous; there is room for everyone. Just as we are, everyone’. The Pope never intended to offend or express himself in homophobic terms, and he apologizes to those who felt offended by the use of a term, as reported by others”.