Pope Francis met with a same-sex couple the day before he met with a clerk who refused to grant marriage licenses to same-sex couples.
The pontiff held a private meeting with Yayo Grassi and his partner, Iwan Bagus, who have been in a relationship for 19 years, at the Holy See Vatican embassy in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 23.
{mosads}Grassi told CNN that Francis contacted him weeks ahead of his visit.
“Three weeks before the trip, he called me on the phone and said he would love to give me a hug,” Grassi said.
Francis taught Grassi in literature and psychology classes at Inmaculada Concepcion high school in Flores, Argentina, from 1964-1965.
Grassi said the pope has long known about his sexuality, but never condemned him for it.
“He has never been judgmental,” Grassi insisted. “He has never said anything negative.
“Obviously he is the pastor of the church and he has to follow the church’s teachings,” Grassi continued. “But as a human being he understands all kinds of different situations, and he is open to all kinds of people, including those with different sexual characteristics.”
Conservatives cheered Francis after he met with Kentucky clerk Kim Davis, who was jailed briefly in September after she refused to issue marriage licenses following the Supreme Court’s legalization of same-sex marriage.
Grassi said he believed the pope was “misled” into meeting with Davis.
The Vatican said the meeting was not an endorsement of Davis’s actions, but the pope has spoken publicly about his support for the “human right” to conscientious objection.