Pope Francis meets with and hugs same-sex couple

The day before Pope Francis met anti-gay county clerk Kim Davis in Washington, he held a private meeting with a longtime friend from Argentina who has been in a same-sex relationship for 19 years.

A Vatican spokesperson confirmed that the meeting took place.

“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,”  the Rev. Thomas Rosica, a spokesman for the Vatican, said in a statement.