Rome – Pope Francis did not ask to meet a Kentucky county clerk who had been jailed for refusing to issue marriage licenses to gay couples and did not offer her unconditional support, the Vatican said on Friday.
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Looking to limit controversy after last week’s meeting in Washington between the pope and Kim Davis, Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi said she was one of “several dozen” people who had been invited by the Vatican ambassador to see Francis.
“The Pope did not enter into the details of the situation of Mrs. Davis and his meeting with her should not be considered a form of support of her position in all of its particular and complex aspects,” Lombardi said in a statement.
The meeting with Davis, which was originally kept secret, disappointed many liberal Catholics but delighted conservatives, who saw it as a sign that the pope was clearly condemning a ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court to legalize same-sex marriage.
A senior Vatican official, who declined to be named, said there was a “sense of regret” within the Holy See over the encounter, which sparked widespread debate in the United States, overshadowing almost all other aspects of the pope’s visit.
He added that Davis had been in a line of people the pope had met at the Vatican embassy in Washington before he left for New York.
“The only real audience granted by the Pope at the Nunciature (Vatican embassy) was with one of his former students and his family,” the statement said.
Davis was jailed for five days in September for refusing to comply with a judge’s order to issue marriage licenses in line with the Supreme Court ruling.
Davis has said her beliefs as an Apostolic Christian prevent her from issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Her church belongs to a Protestant movement known as Apostolic Pentecostalism.
What phony liars and cowards! It clearly says she was “invited by the Vatican ambassador!” The ambassador does the pope’s bidding, and clearly his position is against gay marriage, so why is he now backtracking? Because he’s feeling the heat from liberals? Just proves even more the phoniness and emptiness of their religion.
Amazing how the pope folds like a cheap camera when it comes to gays. The only ones opposing this evil are the real jews, the children of the Torah . The rest of the world has no morals.
What a joke. This guy cant even stick up for basic values….weakling! Or maybe some hidden agenda this guy is tied too that we dont know about…
This pope is a joke. By not supporting Kim Davis, he is in effect recognizing gay marriages. If so, he is not a real pope. Somewhere, probably in some blog, I read an interpretation that Nostradamus categorized this pope as the very lest one. Inside the church, more than half are vehemently against this pope’s so-called liberalization. I guess the pope and his supporters believe in the Bible only 99%. Whatever they don’t like is in the 1%. Where’s a real pope when you need one.
Regret from the infallible one?… Hmmm…
He should go back to being a bouncer.
Take is easy on the Pope, looks like he was set up.
The issue is the goyishe pontiff did not want to inject himself into this strand of American politics. He came with a message about climate change and taking care of the poor/immigrants; indeed he did not even say the word “abortion” once during the trip. The issue with the 3x divorcee Ms.Davis (who really ought to give up being County Clerk and start a PR Firm…really, she’s amazing at publicity) is that it had completely moved “off message” an otherwise successful trip.
Nu,so I am beginning to respect Trump more and more..
he says what he says and sticks with it.
as does Carson.
But then again.. who knows what really happened.. why believe any reporting from the holy “media’.?