Vatican says Pope's encounter with Kim Davis was not 'a form of support of her position' on same sex marriage
- The Pope met Kim Davis in a secret meeting in Washington last week
- She was jailed for refusing to issue same-sex marriage licenses
- Claimed he had urged her to 'stay strong' and thanked her for her courage
- But Vatican said such meetings due to Pope's 'kindness and availability'
The Vatican has said the secret meeting between Pope Francis and Kim Davis should 'not be considered a form of support for her position'.
During his visit to the US last week, His Holiness met Ms Davis, the Kentucky clerk who was jailed for refusing to issue same-sex marriage licenses.
She said Francis urged her to 'stay strong' and thanked her for her courage.
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Kim Davis had a private meeting with Pope Francis during his recent trip to the United States while in Washington DC - the Vatican has said this should 'not be considered' a form of support for her views
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'
Looking to limit controversy after the meeting in Washington, the Vatican said she was one of 'several dozen' people who had been invited to see Francis.
Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi said such meetings are due to the Pope's 'kindness and availability' and Francis only really had one 'audience' with former students and his family members.
A senior Vatican official, who declined to be named, said there was a 'sense of regret' within the Holy See over the meeting, which was originally kept secret.
Ms Davis, a Rowan County, Kentucky clerk, spent five days in jail for defying a series of federal court orders to issue same-sex marriage licenses.
She revealed last week how she and her husband, Joel, met briefly with the pope at the Vatican's nunciature in Washington.
She said: 'I put my hand out and he reached and he grabbed it, and I hugged him and he hugged me. And he said, "Thank you for your courage."
'He told me before he left, "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'.
She added: '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.'
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.
She insisted that spending time in jail has done nothing to weaken her resolve, and she is as committed as ever to her cause.
She said: 'I've weighed the cost and I'm prepared to do whatever it takes, even jail. It's still the same battle, we just have some more fighting with us now.'
Ms Davis claimed the pontiff gave her a hug, thanked her for her courage and urged her to 'stay strong'
The audience sent shockwaves through the US church, prompting questions about whether the pope had been duped into meeting with her and whether he truly knew the details of her case, which has divided the country.
Pope Francis did not focus on the debate over same-sex marriage during his visit last week.
As he left the country, he told reporters he did not know Ms Davis' case in detail, but he defended conscientious objection as a human right.
He said: It is a right. And if a person does not allow others to be a conscientious objector, he denies a right'.
Under the Pope's leadership, the Catholic church has though taken a slightly more compassionate view of homosexual relationships than under his predecessors.
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