During a closed-door meeting with Italian bishops, Pope Francis used a homophobic slur while reaffirming the Catholic Church’s ban on gay priests.

Unnamed Italian bishops had told Italian media that Pope Francis said “f*****ness” in a joking manner while speaking in Italian during the May 20 meeting. Francis had allegedly said that “there is already an air of f*****ness” in seminaries while reaffirming the church’s ban on gay men entering the seminary.