A Rome Pride participant holds up a sign reading ‘There’s too much faggotry in this Pride’, in reference to recent statements by Pope Francis (Picture: EPA/AP)
LGBTQ+ activists have poked fun at the Pope for his recent comments about gay men becoming priests.
On Saturday, Rome held its 30th annual Pride celebrations.
Tens of thousands of people took to the streets in bright and colourful outfits – marching, dancing and singing through the Italian capital.
A large share of placards, signs and banners visible among the crowds made fun of the pontiff’s recent off-colour remarks.
Italian singer Annalisa, a longstanding key figure of the event, poses at the parade in Rome on Saturday (Picture: EPA)
A man dressed as the Pope with a sign referring to the pontiff’s derogatory words (Picture: Getty)
A girl holding a sign that says ‘This Barbie is pansexual’ participates in Rome Pride (Picture: Corbis via Getty)
A protester with a sign with the photo of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni saying ‘better gay than with her’ (Picture: Cobis via Getty)
The slur repeated by the pope was emblazoned everywhere (Picture: Mauro Scrobogna/LaPresse/Shutter)
Last month, Pope Francis was forced to issue an apology after an Italian media outlet quoted unnamed bishops saying the Holy Father had used the term ‘faggotness’ in jest during an official meeting held in Italian.
The phrase is understood to have been used in relation to the Vatican’s ban on allowing gay men to enter the clergy, which was recently reaffirmed.
The Argentine pontiff, who regularly uses slang when speaking in his native Spanish, is reported to have again used the term for a second time during a meeting with priests in Rome this week.
One of the signs, displayed from a large motorcycle driven by a woman in a rainbow-coloured hat at the front of Saturday’s parade, read: ‘Attention, from here on high levels of faggotry.’
Another, held up by a man dressed as the Holy Father himself, said: ‘There is too much faggotry in this parade.’
People walk past the Colosseum (Picture: AP)
The Vatican has recently reaffirmed its ban on gay men joining the clergy (Picture: Getty)
Elly Schlien, a leader of Italy’s main opposition party, was seen dancing on a float at the heart of the event.
Shclien has proven herself a strong and vocal advocate of LGBTQ+ rights, in sharp contrast to her counterpart, the Italian far-right premier Giorgia Meloni.
Brothers of Italy, Meloni’s party, has long stated its opposition to marriage equality, gay parental rights, and use of surrogate pregnancies.
Another person at the parade held up a sign reading: ‘I don’t like Meloni, but I like melons and red hair.’
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