A US county clerk who refused in the name of her faith to issue
marriage licenses to same-sex couples said ON Wednesday she secretly met
with Pope Francis during his US visit and that he urged her to "stay
strong".
Kim Davis, a born-again Christian, told broadcaster ABC
she met the pontiff on September 24 while he was in Washington after
receiving a surprise phone call from a Vatican official.
"It was really very humbling to even think that he would want to, you know, meet me or know me," Davis said.
"Before he left he said, stay strong," she added.
In
Rome, Vatican spokesperson Federico Lombardi confirmed the encounter
with the Kentucky clerk, but declined to comment further.
Davis
has become a heroine to US gay marriage opponents, after she landed in
jail for six days for refusing to issue licenses for gay marriage, which
the US Supreme Court legalised nationwide in June.
She was released after deputy clerks in her office in Rowan County, Kentucky, said they would issue the certificates.
"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'," Davis said of
her encounter with the pope.
"That was a great encouragement just
knowing that the pope is on track, you know, with what we're doing and
agreeing, you know, kind of validates everything."
During his
visit to Washington, New York and Philadelphia last week, Francis spoke
out for religious freedom, but did not mention Davis by name.
On
his flight home, however, he told an American reporter that while he
could not speak about specific cases "conscientious objection is a right
that is a part of every human right".
Wednesday, September 30, 2015
Pope Francis met with anti-gay US clerk
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