This AP update was published after I had just posted the blog, “The Hoax Behind The Meeting Between Pope Francis And Kim Davis” today, 10/4/15.
The following excerpts are from the 10/4/15 Guardian article, “Pope Francis,’This is not like him’: Kim Davis meeting shocks Pope Francis’s gay ex-student ,,,,, ,Yayo Grassi says he’s ‘500% sure’ pope did not initiate meeting as Vatican distances itself from Kentucky clerk:
“An openly gay former student of Pope Francis who visited the pope during his recent trip to Washington has said he was surprised Francis also met the Kentucky county clerk who gained attention for refusing to issue same-sex couples marriage licenses.”
“The pope’s meeting with Washington resident Yayo Grassi, his boyfriend and a few others came to light on Friday as the Vatican was distancing itself from claims the pope’s meeting with the clerk, Kim Davis, was an endorsement of her stance on same-sex marriage.”
“Grassi, 67, met Francis more than 50 years ago when the future pope taught at his all-boys school in Argentina. They reconnected in 2008 and since becoming pope, Francis has met Grassi and his boyfriend of 17 years twice, once in Rome and most recently in Washington, Grassi said.”
“Grassi, who came to the US in 1978 and runs a catering business, spoke at his home on Saturday.”
“Asked what he thought of the pope’s meeting with Davis, he said: “I thought, ‘This is really strange. This is not like him.’”
“Grassi said he told friends they should not rush to judgment and that he didn’t think they had all the facts. The Vatican spokesman, the Reverend Federico Lombardi, declined to say who invited Davis or what the pope knew of her case but such encounters are arranged by the Vatican ambassador and his staff, not the pope’s delegation or the US bishops’ conference.”
Grassi said that after the Davis story came out and he was contacted by the media, he thought: “Perhaps this is the time to defend him. I owe him that as a friend, not because he is a friend but because I know part of the truth.”
“Grassi said “encouraging somebody who is so divisive” like Davis would be out of character for Francis.”
“Here is this guy that is so much into integrating everybody, communicating with everybody,” Grassi said, adding he was “500% sure” the pope did not initiate the meeting with Davis.”
“Grassi exchanged emails with Pope Francis, who was then Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina, when the country was debating legalising same-sex marriage, which it did in 2010.”
“I remember reading excerpts from the press saying that Cardinal Bergoglio had said … things that were extremely negative,” Grassi said. “I immediately thought: ‘This is not like the Bergoglio that I know, not the person that I loved so much when I was growing up.’”
“Grassi said he emailed the then cardinal that he was “disappointed” and “hurt”. A week later, he was surprised to get a reply, he said. Bergoglio asked for forgiveness if he had hurt Grassi and said a newspaper had taken his words out of context.”
“Grassi said the last sentence his former teacher wrote was: “I want you to know this: that in my pastoral work there is no place for homophobia.”
“Asked what the pope was like as a teacher, Grassi said: “He came to the class and immediately commanded authority but in such a nice and gentle way, and we knew that we were in front of a great teacher.”
“At the time, they called him Father Bergoglio, but he had not yet become a Jesuit priest. The future pope taught psychology and literature, encouraging his students to read, and at one point convinced writer Jorge Luis Borges to visit his students and give a lecture.”
“Borges was so impressed with the teenagers’ work, including Grassi’s, that he promised that if Bergoglio raised the funds to publish it and found a printer, he would write an introduction. Bergoglio did and Borges kept his word. The book was called Cuentos Originales, or Original Stories.”
“Asked if the pope had changed from his days as a teacher, Grassi said: “Sometimes when I listen to him talking on TV I just close my eyes and it’s the same tone, the same voice, the same way of persuading people that he had when we were his students.”
“I mean, the man has not changed. He’s exactly the same person, which is quite remarkable given the world we live in.”
UPDATE: This blog was updated on 10/5/15. On a 10/2/15 NY Times article, the authors, Jim Yardley and Laurie Goodstein wrote the following:
“This was not as serious as Regensburg (anti-Islamic speech and the real reason he is no longer pope), when Benedict read his own speech,” Dr. Faggioli said about the meeting attended by Ms. Davis. “But the pope has to be able to rely on his own system, and in this case the system failed him. The question is, was it a mistake, or was it done with full knowledge of how toxic she was?”
“The meeting with Ms. Davis was clearly a misstep, Dr. Faggioli said, “because the whole trip to the United States he very carefully didn’t want to give the impression that he was being politicized by any side.”
“He added, “And this thing is the most politicized thing that you can imagine.”
RELATED ARTICLE:
Before Pope Francis Met Kim Davis, He Met With Gay Ex … www.nytimes.com/…/pope–francis–kim–davis–meeting…10/2/15 – A gay man, a former student of Francis, met the pope before the … Before Pope Francis Met Kim Davis, He Met With Gay Ex–Student …
Gronda Morin 
Reblogged this on It Is What It Is and commented:
Forthcoming, factual information from Yayo Grassi ….. the Pope’s gay friend who DID meet during his visit to the USA. The pictures of this visit are included. Take a look ….
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The mere fact that the Kim Davis story is being compared to the Regensburg speech, delivered by Pope Francis’ predecessor tells me that Papal Nuncio Carl Vigano’s days in office will be over by Christmas 2015 or sooner. This Vatican’s current stance as per NY Times: “This was not as serious as Regensburg (anti-Islamic speech and the real reason he is no longer pope), when Benedict read his own speech,” Dr. Faggioli said about the meeting attended by Ms. Davis’
With tis Pope, my money is doomsday being before the end of October, 2015.
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GRAZIE MILLE!! I am so grateful for your support and thank you for this reblog. Let’s see if Archbishop Carlo Vigano keeps his current post.
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