In yet another revelation about the Pope Francis' recently concluded visit to the U.S., it has emerged that the Pope met Yayo Grassi and his partner Iwan Bagus at the Vatican Embassy on Sept. 23.
Grassi, an openly gay man from Argentina, has been in a same-sex relationship for 19 years and is a longtime friend of the Pope. Several friends of Grassi also accompanied the couple.
A video of the meeting held by a friend of Grassi's shows the Pope hugging Grassi in welcome.
"Three weeks before the trip, he called me on the phone and said he would love to give me a hug," Grassi told CNN.
"Mr. Yayo Grassi, a former Argentine student of Pope Francis, who had already met other times in the past with the Pope, asked to present his mother and several friends to the Pope during the Pope's stay in Washington, DC. As noted in the past, the Pope, as pastor, has maintained many personal relationships with people in a spirit of kindness, welcome and dialogue," Rev. Thomas Rosica, an English-language spokesman for the Vatican, said in a statement confirming the meeting took place, reported The Washington Post.
Grassi, 67, was taught literature and psychology by the Pope at Inmaculada Concepcion, a Catholic high school in Sante Fe, Argentina, from 1964-1965.
"Just two friends meeting after a long time. We didn't talk about gay issues or anything like that," Grassi said about his interaction with the Pope, according to BBC News.
Speaking about the Pope, Grassi said that he had long known about Grassi's sexual orientation. "He has never been judgmental. He has never said anything negative," Grassi said.
The announcement is being seen as a move by the Vatican to distance itself from Kim Davis and the Pope's meeting with her and her husband.
