The day before Pope Francis’ now-infamous meeting with antigay Kentucky Clerk Kim Davis, he held a private audience with his longtime friend and former student from Argentina, Yayo Grassi, who happens to be an atheist who’s been in a same-sex relationship for 19 years.
Grassi declined to CNN to go into detail about the meeting, but said he brought his partner Iwan Bagus and some friends, and that it was arranged weeks in advance via email and phone communication.
“Three weeks before the trip, he called me on the phone and said he would love to give me a hug,” Grassi said.
Vatican spokesman the Rev. Federico Lombardi, who has downplayed the meeting with Davis, said Grassi has met previously with the pope in Rome.
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“As noted in the past, the Pope, as pastor, has maintained many personal relationships with people in a spirit of kindness, welcome and dialogue,” Lombardi added.
“Obviously he is the pastor of the church and he has to follow the church’s teachings,” Grassi added. “But as a human being he understands all kinds of situations, and he is open to all kinds of people, including those with different sexual characteristics.”
Yes, obviously he can’t support marriage equality — that would be mayhem, right?
When Francis opposed same-sex marriage rights in Argentina in 2010, suggesting gay marriage is the work of the devil, Grassi wrote to him, “You have been my guide, continuously moving my horizons—you have shaped the most progressive aspects of my worldview. And to hear this from you is so disappointing.”
Francis — then Cardinal Jorge Margio Bergoglio — wrote back, apologizing for having upset his former student and promising that homophobia had no place in the Catholic Church.
Grassi believes the pope was duped into meeting with Davis, which still doesn’t inspire a whole lot of confidence in the religious leader.
Video of their meeting is below:
Bisexual-Transwoman
Meh, he’s a hypocrite but so are the “ex-student” and his BF.
Stephan Hoffeld
Wenn das wahr ist, scheint Franzi ja wohl gewaltig hin- und hergerissen zu sein zwischen Wahrheit, Natürlichkeit, Anständigkeit und Freundschaft einerseits und den Verlautbarungen der konservativsten Kreise, der von ihm geführten, menschenfeindlichen römischen Sekte. Vielleicht reichten ja ein paar Tage unter anständigen Menschen aus und er würde die Liebesbeziehungen unter Menschen gleich welchen Geschlechts höher schätzen!
alterego1980
It’s not rocket science. The Pope obviously has no issue with gays “in general” but will not change church doctrine to accept same-sex marriage. That’s where he’s at, and that’s where it will stay. Anyone thinking otherwise, clutching their pearls in indignation is pretty delusional about the Pope and the Catholic Church.
Brian JC Kneeland
it was a former student of his from Argentina who brought along his partner – it is not like he met with LGBT Catholic leaders as they had requested!
Judy Rae Jackson
Doesn’t change a thing. How many times has a bigot said “I have friends who are _____________________ but I don’t support their right to marry, their right to attend any school they want to, etc.
Xzamilio
Exactly as I said before… a kinder, gentler homophobia. “Oh, I can ‘love’ you… I just don’t believe you deserve the same rights as me and are doomed to hell… but WHO AM I TO JUDGE??” Sorry, but nothing’s changed… just the packaging in which it’s presented.
Billy Budd
He is a sly bastard, the pope. I Do not trust him in the least bit.
lauraspencer
How is the Pope different than most US politicians? They say one thing publically, but then behind closed doors do things differently?
enlightenone
“…“Three weeks before the trip, he called me on the phone and said he would love to give me a hug,” Grassi said.”
And that does what for all the other misguided LGBT Catholic?
Grassi says in video, he knows what the pope thinks. So the vidoe would have been of value if Grassi told US what the pope thinks about “gay marriage.”
19 years with a boyfriend who is up in age. W/o marriage, then what?
JerseyMike
Gay folk will always have something to be angry about.. Who cares if the pope doesn’t change his views because we want him to. This man is almost a hundred years old, he will not change his mind overnight or if at all. Some of us can’t change our minds about why we don’t like someone because they are fem, fat, black, white, Asian.. We need to get over ourselves. When we stop all the bullshit in the LGBTQ community just maybe we can go out and change the world.
aliengod
Why can’t anyone see this as a positive thing? This Pope is moving in the right direction. You can’t expect that he will suddenly accept marriage equality with open arms. As with many things, it’s baby steps. But at least it’s in the right direction. Sometimes I feel like the LGB community just wants to fight. It’s all about tolerance. Let’s practice it!
youarekiddingme
Yea and the Catholics hid the Nazis (to Vatican positions and help the escape to South America) after WWII…It’s all about tolerance.
The Catholics supported the rounding up of the Jews…It’s all about tolerance.
The Catholics celebrated Hitler’s Birthday…It’s all about tolerance.
The Catholics hid the child molesters…It’s all about tolerance.
I think the world has tolerated about enough of the Organized Catholic Church. I can talk, I used to be Catholic myself, until I reached the age of reason!
There are an estimated 1.2 Billion Catholics in the world…as a gay man I think I have PLENTY to be concerned about!
RobvR
Like a nazi general meeting his long lost jewish friend. @Stephan Hoffeld: Blijf vooral hopen. Gaat niet gebeuren. Deze paus is even Middeleeuws als de vorige. Dat krijg je met een instituut uit het jaar 0.
Kangol
@youarekiddingme: Actually, many everyday Catholics also hid Jews during the Holocaust, and some Catholic bishops stood up against Hitler, though many, including the Pope during that period, remained silent or colluded with the Nazis. It also depends on which country you’re talking about in terms of Catholics supporting the rounding up of Jews during Hitler’s reign. Poor and working-class devout Roman Catholics were less likely to support the attacks on the Jews that middle-class and wealthy ones, and in some cases religious orders–nuns, monks, etc.–did hide Jewish children in their schools, or tried to protect Jews who had converted to Roman Catholicism.
You are right that some church bishops and other wealthy and influential Catholics help spirit Nazis out of Germany, Austria and other European countries to hide in Latin America, though. One wonders if this current pope had his hands in any of this in Argentina, which is where Adolf Eichmann was hanging out until he was renditioned to Israel to face trial for his horrific war crimes.
Pope Francis does seem to be playing an elaborate game, though, being all things to all people, which is another way of saying being nothing to anybody. I don’t trust him one bit, and meeting with one gay couple does zilch for the millions of gay people all over the world who have to deal with hom0phobic laws and anti-gay oppression, which is very real. Kim Davis and other hatemongers like her want to single out and harm gay people. The pope should have told her to kiss his @ss!
Giancarlo85
@aliengod: You are back at it once again. Actions speak louder than words, so why should I trust this pope at all? I do not care what he accepts. He needs to keep his nose out of the internal affairs of other countries. The Catholic Church does not direct domestic policy of countries. You have bought into the propaganda.
James Sheasley
I don’t doubt that Pope Francis is a compassionate human being, however, he is blinded by his faith. He has said wretched things about gays and lesbians, and trivialized and demonized the trans community. He has a great PR team, but I don’t see the point in pretending any longer that he marks a change in direction or even tone toward the LGBT community. He’s a nice guy, but that’s it.
Bisexual-Transwoman
@youarekiddingme: The Roman Catholics/Vatican also supported the genocide in Croatia during WWII as well.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic_clergy_involvement_with_the_Usta%C5%A1e
@James Sheasley: No he’s not compassionate.
youarekiddingme
@Bisexual-Transwoman: So true…though there are so many such incidents I didn’t want to go on and on…
Myrna Sandbrand
Check it out that the Pope didn’t have a private meeting with Mrs Davis. She was with a group of people invited by the Washington archbishop who is anti gay. Pope didn’t know who she was or what has happened with her stand against marriage equality.
Giancarlo85
It’s not just WWII. This behavior continued well after the war too.
The Catholic Church and this Pope had ties to military regimes.
The Catholic Church also had ties to the Brazilian dictatorships (these lasted over 20 years). Look up the brutal dictator Emilio Garrastazu Medici who had the support of the Catholic Church and was strongly Catholic.
Rafael Videla confessed just before his death the Church even gave him advice on how to manage policy regarding disappearances.
http://en.mercopress.com/2012/07/24/argentine-military-dictator-confirms-catholic-church-hierarchy-was-well-aware-of-the-disappeared
The Catholic Church also strongly backed Spanish dictator Francisco Franco who held power with an iron fist.
Ogre Magi
I would rather have root canal than meet with that old goat!
Bisexual-Transwoman
@Myrna Sandbrand: Do you really believe the pope did not know who she was, or does not pay attention to world events or news in the United States?
youarekiddingme
@Myrna Sandbrand: Do you Seriously believe that some Archbishop from Washington is going to decide who the Pope has private meetings with (with no input from the Pope himself or his closest personal advisors)? Come on now…That’s like saying the President is having a formal dinner, but is having a PERSONAL meeting with a few guests beforehand, but he doesn’t know who they are…Think about that for a moment. Is that logical?
You bet betcha he knew who he was meeting with and he knew about her political agenda as well. Why do think Vatican Officials kept the meeting secret took until AFTER the Pope left?? According to Davis’ attorney, they even requested that they remain quiet until after the Pope left. Hmmm…Smells like a cover up to me…