Kim Davis claims Vatican is lying to play down Pope meeting

The lawyers representing Kim Davis have claimed that the Vatican is spreading ‘false’ information to play down a secret meeting between her and the Pope.

The Catholic Church admitted last week that the Pope had a private meeting with anti-gay clerk Kim Davis during his US tour last month, which was kept off his official itinerary released to the press.

The Vatican press office has repeatedly sought to play down the meeting – insisting that Davis only had a “brief” meeting with the Pope alongside a dozen others, that the Pope’s blessing to Davis “should not be considered a form of support of her position in all of its particular and complex aspects” as the pair “did not enter into the details of the situation of Mrs Davis”.

However, the lawyers representing Kim Davis have refused to back down – insisting that the Vatican’s version of events is “false”.

A statement from the Liberty Counsel insists: “The meeting with Kim Davis was initiated by the Vatican, and the private meeting occurred at the Vatican Embassy in Washington, DC, on Thursday, September 24.

“This meeting was a private meeting without any other members of the public present.

Lawyer Mat Staver continued: “Reuters wrongly reported that ‘Davis had been in a line of people the Pope had met at the Vatican embassy’.

“That statement by Reueters [sic] citing a ‘senior Vatican official, who delined [sic] to be named,’ is false.

“There was no line of people before, near, or around Kim Davis. Had Kim Davis been in a line of people or been seen by anyone outside of Vatican personnel, we would not have been able to keep her visit secret.

“Kim’s face is easily recognizable. When we walk through airports as large as LaGuardia, Philadelpia [sic], and Reagan, people recognize her and give her encouragement.

“This was a private meeting with no other people except for the Pope and select Vatican personnel.”

At the peak of the Davis row, a story emerged that the Pope had hugged a gay friend the day before he met with the clerk.

The Pontiff also appeared to back her while speaking to reporters on his flight home, when asked about her case.

• Nov 29 2023

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