RICHMOND, Va. - Aaron Ledesma, an openly gay Catholic man living in Richmond, writes about his journey back to the church on his blog The Gay Catholic. He said his invitation to join Pope Francis in Washington D.C. was a complete surprise.
"I saw articles about Pope Francis coming to the U.S. this month and I thought 'wouldn't that be something to see -- the Pope in the U.S. --' so I did some further digging and I saw he was going to be in D.C., so I found a contact form on the White House website," Ledesma told CBS 6 reporter Joe St. George in an exclusive interview.
Ledesma said that although he filled out a form on the White House website, he did not expect a response.
"If you have a chance to say something to the Holy Father what would you tell him?" reporter Joe St. George asked.
"I would tell the Holy Father how much it means to someone to hear you are loved, you are supported," Ledesma said.
Ledesma said he does not get into the debate over whether gay Catholics should be allowed to marry, but emphasized: "It is a misconception -- you can be Catholic and be gay."
Ledesma said he planned to blog and tweet his papal experience.
