Did the Pope meet with Kim Davis?
Say it ain't so, Pope Francis. Kim Davis claims she had a private meeting with the pope. A portion of the statement from
Kim Davis' legal counsel:
The Pope met privately with Kim Davis and her husband, Joe, at the Vatican Embassy in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, September 24, which was the birthday of Kim’s father. Pope Francis spoke with Kim and Joe Davis in English.
During the meeting Pope Francis said, "Thank you for your courage." Pope Francis also told Kim Davis, "Stay strong. He held out his hands and asked Kim to pray for him. Kim held his hands and said, "I will. Please pray for me," and the Pope said he would. The two embraced. The Pontiff presented Kim and Joe Davis each with a Rosary that he personally blessed. Kim's mother and father are Catholic, and Kim and Joe will present the Rosaries to her parents. Kim's mother was the elected Clerk of Court for Rowan County for 37 years until her retirement in 2014.
More from CNN:
Mat Staver, the lawyer for Davis, said the session lasted 10 minutes and was just between the Pope, his client and her husband. He said pictures were taken and will be released at some point. He didn't say when or why they weren't being released immediately.
"I was humbled to meet Pope Francis. Of all people, why me?" Davis said in the statement. "Pope Francis was kind, genuinely caring, and very personable. He even asked me to pray for him. Pope Francis thanked me for my courage and told me to 'stay strong.'"
The Vatican has said little about the statement by the Liberty Council.
"We do not confirm nor deny the story. There will be no statement," according to Ciro Benedettini, a Vatican spokesman.
If the Pope did meet with Kim Davis, it would seem to unravel much of the goodwill he built up with liberals and progressives on his trip to the United States. Two steps forward and one step back.
7:16 AM PT: The New York Times has confirmation of the meeting:
On Wednesday, the Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, confirmed the meeting, but he declined to elaborate. “I do not deny that the meeting took place, but I have no other comments to add,” he said.
Mr. Staver said that Vatican officials had been aware of Ms. Davis, and that the meeting had been arranged through them — not through bishops or the bishops’ conference in the United States. He would not identify the Vatican officials.