Comedian Stephen K Amos with Pope Francis, who 'floored' him and brought tears to his eyes (Image: BBC)
And after his surprise words - a major departure from the beliefs of many Catholics - Pope Francis urged Stephen and other visiting celebrities to pray for him so he can do his job better. In tonight's episode of the BBC2 travelogue Pilgrimage: The Road To Rome, Londoner Stephen, 51, is among celebrity "pilgrims" shown having audiences with Pope Francis. Stephen tells the Pope: "I lost my mother, three months ago I buried my twin sister, who were both very religious.
As a gay man, I don't feel accepted
Stephen K Amos
"So me coming on this pilgrimage, being non-religious, I was looking for answers and faith.
"But as a gay man, I don't feel accepted."
Pope Francis replies to Stephen carefully: "Giving more importance to the adjective [gay] rather than the noun [man], this is not good.
"We are all human beings and have dignity. It does not matter who you are or how you live your life - you do not lose your dignity.
"There are people that prefer to select or discard people because of the adjective.
"These people don't have a human heart."
And the pontiff then adds: "For those of you who are believers,
