Pope Francis Also Met With a Gay Couple

In the rollercoaster ride that has been media coverage of Pope Francis’ visit to the U.S., yet another twist has emerged: Pope Francis met with a same-sex couple the day before he met with Kim Davis, according to CNN.

After departing to widespread adulation, Pope Francis’ reputation in the U.S. shifted dramatically after it became known that His Holiness had secretly met with Kim Davis. The Vatican then stated that the meeting did not signal support for Kim Davis’ case.

But Oct. 2, the rollercoaster took another loop. Pope Francis’ longtime friend, who is openly gay, met him in Washington, D.C., and brought along his partner of 19 years.

CNN reports:

Yayo Grassi, an openly gay man, brought his partner, Iwan, as well several other friends to the Vatican Embassy on September 23 for a brief visit with the Pope. A video of the meeting shows Grassi and Francis greeting each other with a warm hug.

In an exclusive interview with CNN, Grassi declined to disclose details about the short visit, but said it was arranged personally by the Pope via email in the weeks ahead of Francis' highly anticipated visit to the United States.

"Three weeks before the trip, he called me on the phone and said he would love to give me a hug," Grassi said.

Watch the video of the meeting here:

Read more at CNN.