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      Vatican: Pope's Meeting with Kim Davis Not An Expression of Support

   by VOA News

   The Vatican says Pope Francis's U.S. meeting with Kim Davis, a state
   court official jailed for refusing to issue same-sex marriage licenses,
   should not be construed as an expression of support for her position.

   The [1]Holy See issued a statement Friday, saying the pope met with
   "several dozen persons" during his visit to the Vatican embassy in
   Washington, D.C. last week. It said such meetings are "due to the
   Pope's characteristic kindness and availability."

   "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," the
   statement said.

   ''It also said the only real audience the Pope granted during his time
   at the embassy was with one of his former students.

   The Vatican confirmed Wednesday that Pope Francis met with Kim Davis
   last week.

   Davis, the elected court clerk in Rowan County, Kentucky, told ABC News
   Pope Francis presented her and her husband with two rosaries, thanked
   her for her courage and urged her to "stay strong."

   Defying judge's order

   ''Davis was jailed for six days in September for defying a federal
   judge's order to issue the marriage licenses, Citing her Christian
   beliefs, she refused to issue marriage licenses to either straight or
   gay couples, despite the U.S. Supreme Court's June ruling that
   legalized same-sex marriage across the United States.

   ''She was in the nation's capital to receive an award from the Family
   Research Council, another prominent conservative group, for defying the
   federal judge's order.

   Monday, during his return trip to Rome after his U.S. visit, Pope
   Francis was asked specifically about Davis's case. The pontiff
   responded that conscientious objection is a right that belongs to
   everyone.


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   [2]http://www.voanews.com/content/vatican-pope-meeting-with-kim-davis-n
   ot-an-expression-of-support/2988585.html

References

   1. http://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2015/10/02/0749/01616.html
   2. http://www.voanews.com/content/vatican-pope-meeting-with-kim-davis-not-an-expression-of-support/2988585.html