Headline News

Pope Francis Held Secret Meetings With Same-Sex LGBT Couples During US Trip

Yayo Grassi, an openly gay man, brought his partner, Iwan Bagus, as well several other friends to the Vatican Embassy on September 23 for a brief visit with Pope Francis.

Published

10 years ago

October 2, 2015

Geoffrey Grider

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Pope held private meeting with same-sex couple in U.S.

“For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.” Romans 1:26,27 (KJV)

EDITOR’S NOTE: This month, Pope Francis has called high-level meetings at the Vatican to discuss how to include openly gay and lesbian people within the church. His secret meeting last week with same-sex couples shows you the Popes true intentions. Prepare yourself for full and complete acceptance of openly-gay LGBT Catholic church members. Pope Francis is building his One World Religion, and the gates of Hell fully support him. Grassi said the Pope has long known that he is gay, but has never condemned his sexuality or his same-sex relationship. Hmm…I bet.

Yayo Grassi, an openly gay man, brought his partner, Iwan Bagus, as well several other friends to the Vatican Embassy on September 23 for a brief visit with Pope Francis. A video of the meeting shows Grassi and Francis greeting each other with a warm hug.

In an exclusive interview with CNN, Grassi said the visit was arranged personally with the Pope via email in the weeks ahead of Francis’ highly anticipated visit to the United States.

“Three weeks before the trip, he called me on the phone and said he would love to give me a hug,” Grassi said.

The meeting between the Pope and gay couple adds another intriguing twist to the strange aftermath of Francis’ first-ever trip to the United States. Since news broke on Tuesday of Francis’ meeting with Davis, conservatives have cheered the seemingly implicit endorsement, while liberals have questioned how much the Pope knew about her case.

The two encounters — one with a gay couple and one with a government official who ardently opposes homosexuality — have left the Vatican scrambling to issue statements that seek to de-politicize the Pope’s meetings and agenda.

On Friday afternoon, Vatican spokesman the Rev. Federico Lombardi said that Grassi had asked to present his friends to Francis in Washington.

“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 said.

Earlier on Friday, the Vatican said that the meeting with Davis was not intended as a show of support for her cause and “the only real audience granted by the Pope at the nunciature (embassy) was with one of his former students and his family.”

“That was me,” Grassi said.

Grassi, who is 67, added that he is willing to talk about his private moment with the pontiff because he was upset about media coverage of the Pope’s meeting with Davis.

“I want to show the truth of who Pope Francis is,” he said.

Pope Francis taught Grassi in literature and psychology classes at Inmaculada Concepcion, a Catholic high school in Sante Fe, Argentina, from 1964-1965. Grassi said that he is now an atheist.

Grassi said the Pope has long known that he is gay, but has never condemned his sexuality or his same-sex relationship. In the video, Francis says he recalls meeting Grassi’s boyfriend in Rome.

“He has never been judgmental,” Grassi said. “He has never said anything negative.”

Grassi said that he asked for the meeting in Washington because the friends he brought along have been through difficult times and wanted to receive of a blessing from the pontiff.

At the end the meeting, the Pope hugs both Grassi and Bagus and kisses them on the cheek.

“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.”

While not changing church teaching, which considers same-sex relationships sinful, Pope Francis has often emphasized mercy over judgment. In 2013, for example, he famously said, “Who am I to judge” gay priests who seek to do God’s will. He also reportedly met with a transgender man from Spain in January of this year.

At the same time, the Vatican has refused to recognize France’s ambassador to the Holy See, Laurent Stefanini, who is openly gay. And Francis has show little inclination to adjust church doctrine on sexuality.

“It reminds us, again, that the Pope meets with all sorts of people on his trips and that such meetings are not an ‘endorsement’ of anything,” said the Rev. James Martin, a Jesuit priest and editor at large at America magazine.

“In this case, for example, he is not endorsing same-sex marriage. But if Mr. Grassi’s account is accurate, then it makes me happy to know that the Pope keeps in contact with his old friends, both gay and straight. For friendship and welcome are at the heart of the Christian life.”

This October, the Vatican will hold a major meeting, called a synod, to discuss how to minister to gays and lesbians, among other issues facing modern Catholics.

While Grassi describes his relationship to the Pope as very close, they haven’t always agreed on same-sex rights.

During Argentina’s heated debate over same-sex marriage in 2010, Grassi chastised the Pope for opposing gay rights. At one point, the future pontiff suggested that same-sex marriage is the work of the devil.

“You have been my guide, continuously moving my horizons—you have shaped the most progressive aspects of my worldview,” Grassi wrote to the future Pope in an email, according to National Geographic magazine. “And to hear this from you is so disappointing.”

Grassi told CNN that Francis — then Cardinal Jorge Margio Bergoglio — wrote back, saying that he was sorry to have upset his former student and promising that “homophobia” had no place in the Catholic Church.

Grassi said he believes the Pope was “misled” into meeting with Davis, who served six days in a Kentucky jail for refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

Davis’ lawyers had portrayed the papal meeting as an endorsement of her cause. After several days of questions and culture-war sparring, the Vatican said that was not the case.

“The Pope did not enter into the details of the situation of Mrs. Davis, and his meeting with her should not be considered a form of support of her position in all of its particular and complex aspects,” Lombardi said in a statement issued Friday morning.

The question of who, exactly, set up the meeting between Davis and the Pope has been the subject of fervid media speculation this week.

Vatican officials have said that such an encounter could only have taken place with the planning and approval of the Holy See’s nuncio — or envoy — to the United States, Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò. source

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Donald Trump

The United States And Israel Launch Major Joint Combat Operation On Iran As Tehran Strikes Back With Missile Attacks On US Bases In Middle East

Published

12 hours ago

February 28, 2026

Geoffrey Grider

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U.S. and Israel forces launched a broad, coordinated military offensive against Iran early this morning, targeting Iranian military infrastructure, missile sites, and leadership compounds

On our Podcast yesterday, we told you that war with Iran would come within 24 hours and that’s exactly what we are watching here in the early morning hours on this Saturday. The goal of this attack is to remove the current leadership of the Ayatollah and restore Iran to their pre-1978 Persian heritage. Iran becoming Persia again? That put’s us squarely back on the end times timeline and Middle East Bible prophecy as we draw closer and closer to the final countdown. Trump said on Truth Social this morning “We are going to destroy their missiles and raze their missile industry to the ground. It will be totally… obliterated. We are going to annihilate their navy,” Let’s see what actually happens.

“The ram which thou sawest having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia.” Daniel 8:20 (KJB)

Israel has named this campaign ‘Operation Lion’s Roar’ which from a prophetic perspective is quite tantalizing. You see, Israel may be far removed from a right relationship with the Lord, and they are, and the Jews may be strangers to the Book, and they are, but you are never going to get away from the Lord’s hand on them in the end times. They will soon come face to face with the actual Lion from the tribe of Judah in the upcoming time of Jacob’s trouble, and in that day they will mourn and wail. In the meantime, pray for the peace of Jerusalem and the salvation of the Jewish people, that many might turn to Jesus of Nazareth in these closing moments of the Church Age.

Trump announces ‘major combat operations’ in Iran

FROM THE AP: The U.S. and Israel launched a major attack on targets across Iran on Saturday. U.S. President Donald Trump urged Iranians to take cover during the strikes, but then: “When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take.” It was an extraordinary appeal that suggested the allies could be seeking to end of the country’s theocracy after decades of tensions.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu echoed that sweeping goal. “Our joint operation will create the conditions for the brave Iranian people to take their fate into their own hands,” Netanyahu said.

In a video posted on social media, Trump claimed Iran has continued to develop its nuclear program and plans to develop missiles to reach the U.S.

Trump announces Major Joint Combat Operation with Israel against Iran. “We are going to destroy their missiles and raze their missile industry to the ground. It will be totally… obliterated. We are going to annihilate their navy,” Congress was not notified of this action. pic.twitter.com/WCRv4u3e1N

— Now The End Begins (@NowTheEndBegins) February 28, 2026

The first strikes of the attack appeared to target the compound home to Iran’s 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in downtown Tehran. It wasn’t immediately clear if he was there at the time. Smoke could be seen rising from the Iranian capital.

The attack quickly expanded beyond Iran. Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard said it responded by launching a “first wave” of drones and missiles targeting Israel, where a nationwide warning was issued as the military said it bring down Iranian fire. READ MORE

Operation Epic Fury blows up girl’s school in Iran killing 51 children

OPERATION EPIC FURY has struck a girl’s school in Iran, killing 51 children and wounding 60 more. This is an absolutely terrible start, and borders on the level of war crimes. The US and Israel need to issue an immediate statement and apology.

Now The End Begins is your front line defense against the rising tide of darkness in the last Days before the Rapture of the Church

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Free Bible Program

The Garza West Unit In Beeville Texas Which Houses Up To 2,278 Inmates Has Reached Out To Us For King James Bibles And Christian Literature

Published

1 day ago

February 27, 2026

Geoffrey Grider

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The Garza West Unit in Beeville Texas is a hotbed of soulwinning and gospel preaching and now they need King James Bibles

The Garza West Unit Transfer Facility is a mixed medium security prison located in Beeville Texas. The unit can house up to 2,278 male offenders of G1, G3, and transient custody levels. Co-located with Garza East, Garza West is situated on 304 acres. Garza West Unit is responsible for the initial intake and processing of offenders from the surrounding region into the Texas Department of Corrections. While incarcerated at Garza West, inmates can receive medical, dental, and mental health services. But what they really need is the gospel and the King James Bible, lots of them, amen?

“To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.” Isaiah 42:7 (KJB)

Chaplain Hall writes to say “We have about 4 different Christian services with volunteers who travel anywhere from 1-2 hrs to either speak in a service or conduct a class in our Faith Based Dorm. My favorite ministry related activity is teaching in our Faith Based Dorm. While I am a Baptist Minister and Chaplain I push for real change in the inmate’s lives and tend not to push a sinners prayer or altar calls as I believe they usually produce shallow converts. I ask for Bibles because we have a constant stream of NEW inmates who come in weekly from county prisons. We do not receive funding from anyone and rely exclusively on donations from outside ministries.” And there it is, chaplains and jail ministers all across America have an urgent need for Bibles, and Bibles Behind Bars stands in the gap to make sure they get them. We need your help to make sure the flow of Bibles doesn’t stop going out, come help us!

HOW TO DONATE: Click here to view our WayGiver Funding page

If God has prospered you, please take a moment to click on the donate button to help us in this monumental task of providing King James Bibles, New Testaments, scripture portions, gospel tracts as well as Spanish Bibles to inmates in jails and prisons from Florida to Alaska, and every state in between. We need your prayers, we need your generous financial support, and we need you to stand with us in the closing days of the Church Age. Thank you so very much, TO THE FIGHT!!!

NOTE: If you need a 501 C3 Letter of Donation for tax purposes, please send your donation to:

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Now The End Begins is your front line defense against the rising tide of darkness in the last Days before the Rapture of the Church

HOW TO DONATE: Click here to view our WayGiver Funding page

“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” Titus 2:13 (KJB)

“Thank you very much!” – Geoffrey, editor-in-chief, NTEB

Headline News

NTEB PROPHECY NEWS UPDATE: American Citizens At Embassy In Israel Are Ordered To Get Out As ‘Peace President’ Trump Prepares For Massive Iran Attack

Published

1 day ago

February 27, 2026

Geoffrey Grider

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All signs are pointing to an imminent Trump led invasion by the US military against the Khomeini regime in Iran

The headlines are swirling again — aircraft carriers repositioned, bombers forward deployed, evacuation advisories issued, Iran threatening retaliation, and President Trump warning Tehran that time is running out. Whether a strike comes this week, next month, or not at all is almost secondary to the larger reality staring us in the face: The Middle East is once again the prophetic epicenter of the world.

“And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.” Zechariah 12:3 (KJB)

On this episode of Rightly Dividing, Iran has been tightening its grip around Israel for years — through Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza, militias in Syria and Iraq, and direct missile and drone capabilities. Meanwhile, America — whether under Trump or any other president — is pulled deeper into the region’s unavoidable gravitational field. Why? Because Jerusalem is the burdensome stone. Notice what that verse says — all the people of the earth. That includes superpowers. That includes alliances. That includes nations that think they can manage the situation through deterrence, diplomacy, or force projection. Making its debut in this conflict will be the brand-new kamikaze drone unit known as Task Force Scorpion. And what about the Board of Peace? We have all the updates you need to know about what’s happening in the Middle East, and all around the globe.

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