Pope Francis used a derogatory term to refer to homosexuals in the Catholic Church during a meeting with Italian bishops, several local media reported on Monday.

During the assembly of the Italian Episcopal Conference (CEI), the pontiff reportedly invited the bishops not to welcome openly homosexual people in religious seminaries, stating that there was already too much “faggot,” according to the closest translation.

The 87-year-old pope used a word from the Roman dialect, “ frociaggine ,” which is considered derogatory to refer to homosexuals.

“According to the bishops contacted” by Corriere della Sera , “it is clear that the pontiff was not aware of how insulting his words were in Italian,” the main Italian newspaper wrote on its website.

“More than with shame, his statements were received with some incredulous laughter, because the blunder” of the pope, whose native language is not Italian, “was evident,” the newspaper continued.

The newspaper La Repubblica gave the same information, citing several corroborating sources.

The newspaper recalled that Pope Francis always campaigned for a Church open to all, without distinction of the sexual orientation of the faithful, but at the meeting he insisted on prohibiting openly homosexual people from accessing seminaries.

Requested by AFP, the Vatican did not immediately react.