Out Olympic figure skater Adam Rippon
has cheered Pope Francis' remarks to a gay man.
Juan Carlos Cruz, a victim of sexual
abuse by Father Fernando Karadima, told Spain's El Pais that
during a private meeting with the pope in Rome, the pontiff told him
that God made him “like this” and loves him.
“He told me, 'Juan Carlos, that you
are gay does not matter,” Cruz
said. “God made you like this and loves you like this and I
don't care. The pope loves you like this. You have to be happy with
who you are.”
Rippon, who recently made history as
the first openly gay person to win Dancing With The Stars, was
asked about the pope's remarks.
“I think that's so awesome what the
pope said,” Rippon
told TMZ
Sports.
“It would be pretty cool to meet him
one day,” he added.
Rippon also revealed this week that he
and Finnish boyfriend Jussi-Pekka Kajaala were moving in together.
“I think it's something that we're both really looking forward to,”
he told PEOPLE.
“It's going to be a lot of fun.”