Vatican Says Pope's Meeting with Kim Davis Does Not Mean He Supports Her

The Vatican has said in a statement that the pope's recent meeting with Kentucky clerk Kim Davis does not mean the pope approves of her recent actions regarding same-sex marriage licenses.

Vatican spokesman the Rev. Federico Lombardi said in a statement on Friday that the pope's meeting with Davis while he was in Washington, D.C. recently should not stand as a sign of support for Davis.

Davis, the clerk of Rowan County, Kentucky, was jailed in September for refusing to issue same-sex marriage licenses based on her Christian religious beliefs.

"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," Lombardi said in a statement.

Lombardi went on to say that the meeting between Davis and the pope was "brief," and took place in a room with "several dozen" other people waiting to meet the pontiff.

"Such brief greetings occur on all papal visits and are due to the Pope's characteristic kindness and availability. The only real audience granted by the pope at the nunciature (embassy) was with one of his former students and his family," Lombardi added, as reported by CNN.

Davis confirmed last week that she had met the pope during his D.C. visit, saying in a statement that she was honored to participate in such a meeting.

"I never thought I would meet the Pope," Davis said in a statement. "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."

"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,'" Davis added.