Kim Davis had private meeting with Pope Francis during his historic trip

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Kim Davis said she had a private meeting with Pope Francis during his trip to the United States while in Washington DC
The two met at the Vatican Embassy on September 24 with the pontiff thanking Davis for her courage and urging her to 'stay strong'
Davis recounted for ABC News how the pontiff grabbed her hand and the two exchanged a hug
'I never thought I would meet the Pope. Who am I to have this rare opportunity?' said Davis, who went with her husband Joe
The anti-gay crusader was jailed for refusing to grant marriage licenses despite being the county clerk as she objects to gay marriage
Pope Francis seemed to show support for her when he said a a government official could refuse a responsibility over their conscience

By Chris Spargo For Dailymail.com and Snejana Farberov For Dailymail.com

Published: 21:45 EST, 29 September 2015 | Updated: 11:37 EST, 30 September 2015

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Embattled Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis says her secret meeting with Pope Francis during his trip to the US last week has left her feeling humbled and inspired her to stay the course, no matter what.

Speaking exclusively to ABC News, Davis revealed that she received a phone call from a Vatican official summoning her to Washington DC, where on September 24 she and her husband, Joel, met with Pope Francis at the Vatican Embassy.

‘I put my hand out and he reached and he grabbed it, and I hugged him and he hugged me,’ Davis recounted. ‘And he said, “Thank you for your courage.”’

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Embattled Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis and her husband, Joe, sat down for an interview with ABC News to talk about her secret meeting with Pope Francis last week

Davis claimed the pontiff gave her a hug, thanked her for her courage and urged her to 'stay strong'

At the end of the meeting, which was reportedly conducted in English, Davis says the pontiff handed her and her husband rosaries; she plans to give hers to her mother, who is a Catholic.

‘He told me before he left, he said, “Stay strong.” That was a great encouragement. Just knowing that the pope is on track with what we're doing, it kind of validates everything to have someone of that stature,’ Davis said.

Davis suggested that spending time in jail has done nothing to weaken her resolve, and she is as committed as ever to her cause.

‘I've weighed the cost and I'm prepared to do whatever it takes, even jail,’ she said. ‘It's still the same battle, we just have some more fighting with us now.’

In response to news reports of the purported meeting, the Vatican released a statement saying the Holy See 'does not confirm the meeting, nor does it deny the meeting.'

This was unusual for the Vatican, which normally issues either denials or confirmations.

Mat Staver, attorney and founder of the Liberty Counsel, told CBS News Tuesday night his team did not want to disclose the meeting between his client, Ms Davis, and the pope until now to avoid interfering with the pontiff's broader message during his visit.

'Because we didn't want the pope's visit to be overshadowed with Kim Davis,' Staver said in an interview on the network.

Big fan: Kim Davis(above in a September 23 interview) reportedly had a private meeting with Pope Francis during his recent trip to the United States while in Washington DC

Hush hush: The two met at the Vatican Embassy on September 24 with the holy leader (above) thanking Davis for her courage and urging her to 'stay strong'

'I was humbled to meet Pope Francis. Of all people, why me?' said Davis after the meeting according to the Liberty Counsel.

'I never thought I would meet the Pope. Who am I to have this rare opportunity? I am just a County Clerk who loves Jesus and desires with all my heart to serve him.'

Davis has been celebrated by some and reviled by many after her decision this sunmmer to refuse granting marriage licenses despite her position as Rowan County clerk over her objection to the legalization of same-sex marriages across the country by the Supreme Court.

This moved eventually landed her in jail, but she was eventually released and back to work under the condition she not tamper with any of the licenses coming out of the office.

Some have already claimed she is doing just that, thereby making some marriages null.

Davis said of Pope Francis after their meeting; 'Pope Francis was kind, genuinely caring, and very personable.

Pope Francis seemed to show his support for Davis on Monday as he left the United States when asked by ABC reporter Terry Moran if it was a 'human right' for government officials to refuse to perform duties that go against their conscience.

'I can’t have in mind all cases that can exist about conscience objection,' said Pope Francis.

'But, yes, I can say the conscientious objection is a right that is a part of every human right. It is a right.'

He then added; 'And if a person does not allow others to be a conscientious objector, he denies a right.'

When asked if that includes government officials, Francis replied, 'It is a human right and if a government official is a human person, he has that right. It is a human right.'

In a separate interview with ABC News at her home in Kentucky, an emotional Kim Davis insisted that religious freedom and conscience cannot be separated from one another, but she denied discriminating against gay people, saying she has not been issuing marriage licenses to anyone to avoid singling out same-sex couples.

‘This whole situation has never been a gay or a lesbian issue for me,’ she said. ‘It's all about upholding the word of God.’

Addressing her four marriages and the fact she had children out of wedlock, Davis said that contrary to what some people might think of her, she is not a hypocrite.

'I'm forgiven, washed clean,' she said. ‘I haven't always been a good person. When I didn't live for God... I was real good living for the devil, and God pulled me out of that pit of sin that had created with my very own hands.’

Sanding her ground: In a separate interview with ABC News at her home in Kentucky, an emotional Kim Davis insisted that religious freedom and conscience cannot be separated from one another

Emotional: The clerk broke down talking about how much it hurts her when people tell her that God does not love her, or that she is a bad Christian

Under siege: Davis said she has been getting hate mail and death threats from her detractors

Since Davis has refused to issue marriage licenses to couples, her deputies have been doing it in her stead, but the clerk believes those documents are invalid because she has not authorized them.

Davis has received thousands of letters of support and personal gifts, but she also has been getting hate mail and death threats from her detractors.

‘They said that they were gonna burn our house down, burn us up while we slept,’ a tearful Davis recounted.

'What people say about me does not define who i am,' she added, with tears in her eyes. 'I've been called "Hitler," I've been called "hypocrite," I've been called a "homophobe."

‘Those names don't hurt me. What probably hurts me the most is when someone tells me that my God does not love me, or that my God is not happy with me, that I'm a hypocrite of a Christian.’