Reconciled: Pope Francis’ message of love and hope extends a welcome back to the church.

This article was originally published in the Marquette University Magazine.

My heart is racing. I hear the trumpets play Hail to the Chief when the president and first lady appear outside the White House. They walk to the circular driveway that is iconic American imagery and stand. The silence is heavy with anticipation — when suddenly the trumpets blare again and a motorcade flying the Vatican flag pulls up. His Holiness Pope Francis has arrived.

I ask myself: “Aaron, how did you get here?” and memories of August 13 come to mind.

I had been blogging about my journey to reconcile my faith and life as an openly gay man. My writing and research led me to discover that Pope Francis was scheduled to visit Washington, D.C.

I wrote to the White House seeking an invitation to the welcoming ceremony.

I received the phone call on August 13 that changed everything. At first I thought the caller was one of my friends punking me. When I realized I was really speaking to a representative from the White House who was extending President Obama’s invitation to me and one guest to attend the arrival ceremony honoring the pope, you can imagine my answer.