Pope Francis was 'saddened' when he heard two former nuns (stock) had married each other in a secret civil ceremony in Italy, a Vatican official has revealed
'How much sadness on the pope's face when I read him the news of the two married 'nuns'!' Becciu tweeted on Friday.
During an interview with La Repubblica, Federica, 44, from Italy, and Isabel, 40, from South America, declared their love was a 'gift from God'.
They said they did not want to just live together in a convent and keep their relationship under wraps as this would be 'false'.
The couple revealed they decided to act on their feelings when Pope Francis encouraged those in the Catholic Church not to judge others.
The women have since revealed they decided to follow their hearts after hearing the Pope's comments on gay people in 2013 when he famously said: 'Who am I to judge?'
Vatican Deputy Secretary of State Archbishop Angelo Becciu tweeted: 'How much sadness on the Pope's face when I read him the news of the two married 'nuns'!'
During an interview in 2013, the religious leader said: 'If a person is gay and seeks the Lord and has good will, well who am I to judge them?'
The two nuns said: 'That phrase has opened our hearts.'
They took advantage of a law passed this year that offers homosexual couples legal recognition in Italy – one of the last countries in the West to do so.
Last week, Pope Francis said all transsexuals and homosexuals should be 'welcomed' and embraced by the Catholic Church.
He said Jesus would never have turned away transgender people and revealed he had ministered to homosexuals as a priest, bishop and now as Pope.
'When a person arrives before Jesus, Jesus certainly will not say, 'Go away because you are homosexual',' the religious leader said.
'Each case must be welcomed, accompanied, studied, discerned and integrated. This is what Jesus would do today.'
