Pope Francis met in private with an openly gay former student at the Vatican Embassy last week, CNN reports. The student, Yayo Grassi, has been in a committed same-sex relationship for 19 years and brought his partner with him for their private audience.
"Obviously [the Pope] is the pastor of the church and he has to follow the church's teachings," Grassi said. "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."
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