Student Urges Pope to End Anti-LGBTQ Language

A bisexual student, Jack Lorenz Acebedo Rivera, urged Pope Francis to refrain from using offensive language towards the LGBTQ+ community after reports of the pontiff using a homophobic slur, 'frociaggine,' on multiple occasions. Rivera, during a panel discussion, expressed how such language causes immense pain and shared personal experiences of discrimination due to his bisexuality. While the Vatican issued an apology for the first incident, the pope did not directly address Rivera's plea to stop using anti-LGBTQ language. Additionally, another student, Elizabeth Fernandez, raised concerns about faith formation and requested greater access to confession and Christ's integration into school subjects during the same discussion with the pope. Pope Francis listened to students' concerns but did not address the specific requests regarding offensive language and LGBTQ+ discrimination.