Thursday, March 28, AD 2024 10:00am

Pope Francis Meets With Kim Davis

Pope Francis and Kim Davis

Just when I think I have Pope Francis figured out, I am back at square one.  Inside Vatican is reporting that Pope Francis met secretly with Kim Davis:

On Thursday, September 24, in the afternoon after his historic address to Congress, just a few minutes before flying to New York City, Pope Francis received, spoke with, and embraced Kim Davis — the Kentucky County Clerk who was jailed in early September for refusing to sign the marriage licenses of homosexual couples who wished to have their civil marriages certified by the state of Kentucky.

Also present was Kim’s husband, Joe Davis.

Kim and her husband had come to Washington for another purpose — Kim was to receive a “Cost of Discipleship” award on Friday, September 25, from The Family Research Council at the Omni Shoreham Hotel.

Pope Francis entered the room.

Kim greeted him, and the two embraced.

There is no recording of this conversation, or photographs, as far as I know. But “there is not any thing secret that shall not be made manifest, nor hidden, that shall not be known and come to light.” (Luke 8:17)

Kim Davis gave me this account of the meeting shortly after it took place.

“The Pope spoke in English,” she told me. “There was no interpreter. ‘Thank you for your courage,’ Pope Francis said to me. I said, ‘Thank you, Holy Father.’ I had asked a monsignor earlier what was the proper way to greet the Pope, and whether it would be appropriate for me to embrace him, and I had been told it would be okay to hug him. So I hugged him, and he hugged me back. It was an extraordinary moment. ‘Stay strong,’ he said to me. Then he gave me a rosary as a gift, and he gave one also to my husband, Joe. I broke into tears. I was deeply moved.

“Then he said to me, ‘Please pray for me.’ And I said to him, ‘Please pray for me also, Holy Father.’ And he assured me that he would pray for me.”

Joe told Kim that he would give his rosary to her mother, who is a Catholic. And Kim then said that she would give her rosary to her father, who is also a Catholic.

Vatican sources have confirmed to me that this meeting did occur; the occurrence of this meeting is not in doubt.

Go here to read the rest.  The only sure thing about this Papacy is that you will be unsure.  In any case, bravo Pope Francis for this.

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Don L
Don L
Wednesday, September 30, AD 2015 5:42am

Good for Francis. I had a wish that he would join a march in front of a Planned parenthood aboritorium.
Imagine the response from both sides as they pass each other shifting their evolving likes and dislikes.

Paul W Primavera
Wednesday, September 30, AD 2015 6:22am

I read about this yesterday. I hope it is true. If true, then it should be publicized far and wide..

Ginny
Ginny
Wednesday, September 30, AD 2015 7:07am

Pope Francis seemingly defends marriage between a man and a woman. Very sad that this should shock us.

bill bannon
bill bannon
Wednesday, September 30, AD 2015 7:10am

. On a similar note, he blasted the pro gay/ pro euthanasia Mayor of Rome as a pretend Catholic. Could he have been touched by the US meeting with Davis into “judging” the Mayor at some level…

http://news.yahoo.com/pope-shows-no-mercy-blasts-rome-mayor-pretend-201914363.html

Paul W Primavera
Wednesday, September 30, AD 2015 7:31am

BTW, folks, the news articles published on Yahoo and elsewhere are getting the expected cursing from all the pelvic crazed baboons.

Stephen E Dalton
Stephen E Dalton
Wednesday, September 30, AD 2015 8:11am

I hope this meeting with Kim Davis represents a shift in Vatican attitudes and policies toward the sodomites

Tito Edwards
Admin
Wednesday, September 30, AD 2015 8:13am

On the papal flight back to Rome after the World Meeting of Families, Pope Francis was asked about Kim Davis and he didn’t know who she was.

I’m digging around to try to confirm this story, if it’s true or not.

bill bannon
bill bannon
Wednesday, September 30, AD 2015 8:18am

Tito,
Some degree of non familiarity is shown in the gifts of rosaries to two Protestants who then gave them to Catholic parents. I suspect he was hurriedly briefed on the story and presumed they were Catholic.

MikeS
MikeS
Wednesday, September 30, AD 2015 8:20am

The yahoo news article about the mayor of Rome described him as unpopular in the Italian press. If you’re wondering why the pope is publicly criticizing him, but not Pres Obama etc, their comparative popularity might be relevant info.

Tito Edwards
Admin
Wednesday, September 30, AD 2015 8:41am

Bill Bannon,

I agree.

I’ve dug around and about 40 minutes ago, the mainstream media (secular and liberal press) just exploded on the news.

The Vatican, Fr. Federioc Lombardi, has confirmed the meeting took place but won’t divulge any details.

The lawyer for Kim Davis, Staver, also confirmed the story.

Kim Davis as well has confirmed the story.

The story looks genuine and true.

bill bannon
bill bannon
Wednesday, September 30, AD 2015 9:40am

NBC on the 28th prior to knowing about Davis has the Pope saying to reporters on his return plane that conscientious objection in such situations is a human right..

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/pope-francis-visits-america/pope-francis-i-understand-anger-catholic-church-sex-abuse-victims-n434681

Good response by Francis on the matter of those intimately radicalized against God for the sex abuse by priests…” I understand that woman”.

exNOAAman
exNOAAman
Wednesday, September 30, AD 2015 9:41am

“…pelvic crazed baboons”
.
Paul W. P. you are a genius of the keyboard.

trackback
Wednesday, September 30, AD 2015 10:00am

[…] Pope Francis Met With Kim Davis at the Request of the Vatican […]

Penguin Fan
Penguin Fan
Wednesday, September 30, AD 2015 10:23am

From Yahoo, I’m not surprised. The NHL blog I used to read there, Puck Daddy, was run by a big time gay marriage supporter. I presume he is not alone at Yahoo with that view.

Dale Price
Dale Price
Wednesday, September 30, AD 2015 10:44am

If they were intellectually consistent, the papal positivists would treat this the same way they did, say, his phone call to Jaquelina Lisbona–i.e., it’s just her version of the story, she has an interest in it being spun this way, she misunderstood, etc.

Now, I’m inclined to think this turned out the way the Davises said it did–but I also believe Mrs. Lisbona, too. Getting in contact with the Pope would be pretty well unforgettable.

Pau
Pau
Wednesday, September 30, AD 2015 11:39am

How did ETWN coverage miss this?

Foxfier
Admin
Wednesday, September 30, AD 2015 1:26pm

Explains the sudden spinning of the Pope telling Islamic folks who don’t like being associated with terrorism that they should, y’know, CONDEMN IT as “pope calls Koran a book of peace.” (He did one of those “hey, if you are saying X, then you should do Y” rhetorical devices.)

Ezabelle
Ezabelle
Wednesday, September 30, AD 2015 3:16pm

This just confirms my belief that the Pope had his hands tied, to a certain degree, on the stage of Catholic political issues, coming to America. He can criticise an Italian mayor because frankly, he isn’t really anybody. Criticise an American congressman, and you’ll feel it. As someone previously said, congressman act like little gods.

he isn’t rocking any boats publicly, because they’ll pressure him out like they did with Benedict. I’m no conspiracy theorist, but it all makes sense. He is treading his power very carefully, whilst staying true to the Gospel.

And it also confirms my initial belief that his speech to congress was intentionally diplomatic, otherwise he would not have been invited.

I Wouldn’t be harsh on him on this matter. We don’t see what really goes on behind those Vatican walls, nor the conversations or the decisions that are made.

This is not excusing his lack of a “heavy hand”. This is understanding the logic behind his politics.

PF is a good man doing a very tough job. I Pray for the Pope.

John Paul IV
John Paul IV
Wednesday, September 30, AD 2015 4:44pm

Bergolio’s “leaked” (Really? You believe that?) “secret” encounter with a Christian who refused to issue sodomite “marriage” licenses, in my opinion, was a media stunt, well organized by his buddies in the Vatican.

Seriously now, are we THAT naive?

“WOW, you see, Bergoglio is against sodomite marriage”… REALLY?

The guy should be ashamed of himself pretending to be the Vicar of Christ and doesn’t have the COURAGE of a Protestant to declare and proclaim his faith and say to a nation that “what you did was wrong and either you correct yourself or you will go to Hell.” How many public speeches and homilies he gave in America? How many times he explicitly condemned the sodomite marriage law when he had the chance? Not one single time. Most, if not all of his gibberish was about his freaking mother earth and government’s redistribution of wealth.

Do we have a Catholic Pope?

Foxfier
Admin
Wednesday, September 30, AD 2015 4:59pm

Will you please decide if the Vatican is great at setting things up, or horrible? And if they want to slap orthodox Catholics in the face, or make us like them?

Also, how on earth a “well organized media stunt” manages to go past the Catholic media that would welcome it, mostly bypass the official media, and only sneak around the back with the far side of crazy that hate the Pope because he worships anything but their goals?

I found out about it this morning from someone that assumed it was another “all dogs go to heaven” type rumor that went viral.
….
I think the Pope has rather poor personal judgement on a lot of issues, and without a doubt holds some very questionable notions. That’s different from not being Catholic.
You don’t think he’s strident enough, great. You don’t agree with his tactics. I don’t, either, but your choice of tactics is rather questionable when it drives someone who agrees that the Pope should be acting differently out of wanting any kind of association.
He may be a milksop, but at least he doesn’t violently drive off everyone who isn’t perfectly in step.

John Paul IV
John Paul IV
Wednesday, September 30, AD 2015 5:14pm

Question: Is Bergoglio embarrassed to be Catholic?

There is no doubt at all, if you watched his actions and words since he was put on Peter’s Chair, that when addressing non-Catholics, when addressing issues that are contrary to Catholicism when meeting the non-Catholics, he NEVER says anything defending the teachings of the Catholic Church and never says any objectionable word to these people.

He wants to be nice to sinners. He wants to be popular and the media darling. He is from this world.

Instead of correcting sinners, he welcomes them and even declares a year of “mercy”.. i.e. everything is allowed for a year because that’s what it’s really about… the “year of mercy” … starting with allowing and facilitating for Catholics to divorce.

And don’t assume that after the year, everything will go back “Catholic”.. No Sir Ree Bob!!!

Once he opened the door for “everything is allowed”, and the Synod will confirm it, it will be the new “normal” just like sodomite “marriage” is the new “normal.”

Do we have a Catholic Pope?

Ezabelle
Ezabelle
Wednesday, September 30, AD 2015 5:39pm

“He may be a milksop, but at least he doesn’t violently drive off everyone who isn’t perfectly in step”

Agree Foxfier.

I wander sometimes, in the way some Carholics carry-on, what differentiates them from a fanatic Muslim Ayatollah. ?

Greg Mockeridge
Greg Mockeridge
Wednesday, September 30, AD 2015 5:59pm

While the pope’s meeting with Davis is, in itself, praiseworthy, I find it strange in the context of the entirety of Francis’ visit to the U.S. When the pope is speaking about the hoax of man made global warming errr Climate Change and the naked anti-death penalty activism, he is not only bold but in your face about it. But on stuff like this that actually has bearing on Catholic Christian morality, he is oh so secretive. Something doesn’t smell right here.

John Paul IV
John Paul IV
Wednesday, September 30, AD 2015 6:01pm

>>>Throughout his papacy, Francis has insisted that marriage is between a man and woman, but he didn’t emphasize this church teaching during his trip because he wanted to offer a “positive” message about families to America, Lombardi (Bergoglio’s “press secretary”) told reporters<<<

I wonder what would Jesus say or do….

Correcting sinners, leading them to Heaven or telling them everything you're doing is honky-dory, it's "mercy time"??? "I'm not going to offend you, I'm going to be nice to you because that's how you're going to believe in me…..I'll let you live and die sinners."

Hmmmm

Foxfier
Admin
Wednesday, September 30, AD 2015 6:10pm

Ezabelle –
bodycount?
***
Greg- if we assume he really is trying to draw people into the faith, and that in the US the global warming and anti-death-penalty folks are most likely to be, ah, not in agreement with the important bits… he may be trying to get common ground, get them to like him, so they’ll listen to him enough to save their souls. That whole “find common ground” tactic.
He didn’t make a secret of the visit to the Little Sisters, but it didn’t much hit the news outside of Catholic circles– and they’re nuns, people would EXPECT him to visit them!
I heard folks talking about his speech to Congress and expected a lot of open borders junk…I go read it, and find that he did a good job of drawing a distinction between what HE supports, and what principles we need to apply.
( I sure as heck don’t think it’s very loving to be the pressure relief valve for Mexico, so that the folks who are most desperate can take the “steal a loaf of bread when starving” route with immigration laws rather than improving the country.)
Of course, that goes back around to the question of his practical judgement… did he KNOW that his speech would be mined and treated as ammunition for exactly the opposite, to drive people away from the Church? If not, who the heck isn’t doing their job about briefing him? I know that they mentioned he doesn’t let anybody know everything he’s planning to do, but that doesn’t mean that he shouldn’t get a blessed briefing about “ways the English language media is going to screw this up.”

John Paul IV
John Paul IV
Wednesday, September 30, AD 2015 6:29pm

What would Satan do?
———————————

Satan would be nice to people, all people because he wants to have followers. So, he will not offend anybody. He will welcome everybody. He will be merciful to everybody. He will not correct anybody who offends God.
.
Instead, he will tell everybody that there are no sinners as fas he is concerned.
.
He will give people the impression that God is judgmental, not nice, bigot, discriminatory, and evil. But that he isn’t any of these.
.
He is merciful, loving, caring, welcoming, accepting, forgiving.
.
He will let you do anything you want and he will never judge you but instead he will encourage you and help you do what you like to do.
.
Satan would be the good guy and God the bad guy.
.
Satan will appoint a representative on earth. And who can represent him better than the pope himself, the Vicar of Christ, Satan’s sole enemy?

Bergoglio is leading souls to Hell.

Ezabelle
Ezabelle
Wednesday, September 30, AD 2015 8:58pm

“Bergoglio is leading people straight to hell”. Ok. We’ll tally them up at the end of his papacy. If you believe some, the body count is going to be huge!

It seems he won’t please anyone until he starts condemning the infidels to hell. Sounds like another religion to me.

His name is Pope Francis, not Bergoglio.

John Paul IV
John Paul IV
Wednesday, September 30, AD 2015 9:05pm

Some, err, many so-called “Catholics” venerate to the point of almost worshiping humans instead of their creator. And I don’t care if this human is the pope or not. He was created just like the rest of us and unfortunately, Jesus is ignored even by the pope. If Jesus, with a BIG Halo, was walking in St. Peter’s Square while ANY pope is doing his round, people will still be cheering for the pope and ignore Jesus. I bet my life on it.

Nan
Nan
Wednesday, September 30, AD 2015 9:19pm

I rarely comment despite the growing hatred and vitriol so common on almost every online news outlet. I did not expect to find the same entrenched intolerance in reading a Catholic publication. Obviously I disagree with most of you. Kim Davis is breaking the law. If her principles and conscientious objection are more important than her $80,000+ a year salary, then she should quit. It is not her right or job to adjudicate who may love and who may marry.

Like millions of others who claim rich faith in God, Davis is usurping His right to make judgement. Reading many of these comments, it seems you think God applauds intolerance, hatred, and judgement. That concept goes against everything I was taught as a Catholic, including that He loves all of his children. I simply cannot fathom why so many of those who profess abiding conviction in God’s plan and wisdom, do not trust his Judgement. It is, or should be, at the core of our faith.

Ezabelle
Ezabelle
Wednesday, September 30, AD 2015 10:29pm

Err…whatever JPIV…and in more important news, I received this letter from RTL this afternoon…

Good morning all,
I am speaking at RTLA Conference tomorrow.
However at the last minute yesterday Peter Dutton cancelled the visa of the keynote speaker Troy Newman due to pressure from the far left pro- abortion lobby lead by opposition leader Penny Wong.
Troy Newman is the President of Operation Rescue who have exposed Planned Parenthood’s sale of aborted foetal tissue.
Troy Newman landed at Melbourne Airport at 7am this morning and is currently being questioned in immigration. RTLA have sent a lawyer and many people are lobbying Peter Dutton to reverse his decision.
Please pray that righteousness, truth and wisdom will prevail and no weapon formed against Troy and his wife Mellissa (and their family in the US) will prevail.
Thank you so much.
Kind regards,

* Penny Wong is a left-leaning federal politician in opposition. She is also alesbian with two children conceived via IVF through a donor.

Lois

Ezabelle
Ezabelle
Thursday, October 1, AD 2015 1:11am

Sorry to bombard Donald- but this is also happening currently in Australia – if anyone is interested.

Perhaps the effort in micro-analysing PF could be put in fighting and defending our own Catholic communities.

“As you may have heard, Archbishop Julian Porteous is being taken to the Anti-discrimination board in Tassie, (Tasmania, Australia), by the greens representative, for distributing the “Don’t Mess with Marriage” pastoral letter to parents at Catholic schools and also to Catholic parishes. Aside from the great power of prayer, this petition is another active way to support the Archbishop and to join your voice in support of marriage:

http://standwithporteous.com

Father of seven
Father of seven
Thursday, October 1, AD 2015 5:18am

“Is Bergoglio embarrassed to be Catholic?” Well yes, of course, when it comes to certain issues that all his well educated friends in high places are against. God bless him for the meeting, but the lack of openness about it sends the message loud and clear. I was instantly reminded of the scene from Blazing Saddles when out of gratitude an old woman brings the black sheriff a fresh baked pie and asks him if he has the decency not to mention it to anyone. After all, appearances you know.

Michael Dowd
Michael Dowd
Thursday, October 1, AD 2015 5:58am

Congratulations to Pope Francis for his mysteriously stealth support of Kim Davis and against SSM. Let us hope he comes out again , openly and frequently, in support of Catholic doctrine. When he does this he is most impressive and worthy of attention.

D Black
D Black
Thursday, October 1, AD 2015 7:42am

“This is an innovation of the past quarter century, still opposed by most of the globe, and imposed upon most of the nation this year solely by judicial fiat, and you act as if gay marriage was handed down by God to Moses on Mount Sinai. How utterly bizarre”.

Amen.

Foxfier
Admin
Thursday, October 1, AD 2015 8:59am

Nan –
your trigger-word program needs work. When claiming to respond to comments, it helps if the topic you’re commenting on was actually MENTIONED in the comments; two dozen comments into a thread, they’re all about figuring out the Pope, and your “oh I OF COURSE am always here” comment is about…. a totally unrelated subject.
Not just name-calling and lying, but doing a bad job of it. Dang.

CAM
CAM
Thursday, October 1, AD 2015 1:41pm

“Big underground success”!
Just maybe the last Our Father of the rosary said by the faithful for the intention of the pope and other prayers for him are being heard.

Greg Mockeridge
Greg Mockeridge
Thursday, October 1, AD 2015 2:48pm

Foxfier:

The anti-death penalty movement effectively exploiting the Church hierarchy and using it as a wedge between pro-lifers to advance their anti-life agenda (yes the anti-death penalty movement is anti-life at its core) has long proved the whole “find common ground tactic” a failure. It seems to me even St John Paul II started to realize that taking sides on capital punishment was a mistake. When Cardinal Ratzinger sent that letter to Cardinal McCarrick stating that Catholics enjoy a “legitimate diversity of opinion” with regard to capital punishment, he acting not merely on his own personal behalf, but in his official capacity as head of the CDF. To my knowledge, he said nothing publicly about the death penalty as Pope Benedict XVI. I searched in vain to find any statements to that effect. And now Pope Francis not only digs up the whole anti-death penalty nonsense, he ups the ante with his opposition to life sentences.

Foxfier
Admin
Thursday, October 1, AD 2015 3:44pm

Greg-
I don’t disagree on how effective it is, at least in the US, but it is still something a person can reasonably disagree on…especially when they are charismatic.
***
Given that the Pope obviously doesn’t trust organizations to have power– even while he thinks they MUST have that power– supporting life in prison over death penalty makes sense. (Do YOU trust Iran’s use of the death penalty?!) Same way his view of capitalism makes sense if he thinks crony capitalism is normal.

Greg Mockeridge
Greg Mockeridge
Thursday, October 1, AD 2015 4:19pm

Foxfier:

First of all, Pope Francis opposes life sentences. He calls it a “hidden” death penalty. Do I trust Iran’s use of the death penalty? I don’t trust Iran. It has nothing to do with the death penalty per se. Our very judicious use of capital punishment is in no way comparable to the way it is used in totalitarian hell holes like Iran, China, North Korea etc. The pope surely knows that. If he doesn’t, his ignorance is scandalous. We don’t execute people for expressing political disagreement or engaging in homosexual acts, or the like. I think the fact of the matter is this pope is more concerned with advancing an ideological agenda than he is the mission of the Church.

Foxfier
Admin
Thursday, October 1, AD 2015 6:23pm

It doesn’t matter if he knows it’s different in degree, if he’s bought into things like the Innocence Project’s stories that it’s not different in kind.

GIGO.
Same reason it’s not good for the Church to jump into scientific situations, it confuses folks about her authority; a simple and LOUD lay-out of the principles involved– without their preferred course of action even mentioned— would be nice, but… yeah, I’ll take a pony, too…..

Clay
Clay
Thursday, October 1, AD 2015 7:12pm

I think the very low key, later leaked meetings with the Little Sisters of the Poor and Davis (well, in Davis’s case, as I understand it, the Vatican didn’t even leak it; an American made the claim and the Vatican didn’t deny it, was how the story first broke) show a distinct difference.

America has probably more people who would be attracted to a guy who talks about conscience rights and freedom of religion than people who are attracted to a guy who talks about the evilsi of air conditioning.

The only way making one message loud and clear, and the other muted and unadvertised, is so that he can emphasize one, and leave a bread crumb for orthodox Catholics who want to think that the pope identifies with them too.

But the idea that this is a good evangelical strategy is not convincing. 1 because the Good News himself probably priorities life issues and the freedom to worship him above air conditioning, and 2 because, this guy has never made Jesus the focal point of his public life. Yeah, he talks about him, but proclamation of Jn3:16 sounding concepts is not a priority with this guy when we are honest with ourselves.

Priorities. What are yours?

Clay
Clay
Thursday, October 1, AD 2015 7:14pm

Autocorrect apparently wet crazy on the above, apple culpa.

Foxfier
Admin
Thursday, October 1, AD 2015 8:52pm

I don’t care if he “identifies with” Snips on My Little Pony– and, frankly, that’s the kind of thing that does actually matter, immensely, to the sort of folks that he’d be trying to reach if my theory is correct.

Greg Mockeridge
Greg Mockeridge
Friday, October 2, AD 2015 4:07am

“…if he bought I to the Innocence Project”

Maybe the Church hierarchy will buy into common sense. I’m not holding out too much hope of that happening anytime soon.

CAM
CAM
Friday, October 2, AD 2015 5:52am

Re local DC FOX news this a.m. – Kim Davis’ lawyers say she and her husband met with PF for 15 min in private. The Vatican says PF met with a group of people inclluding Davis at the Vatican embassy before leaving for NYC. That he did meet in private with someone, but it was not Kim.

Well someone is lying. What a mess.

Michael Dowd
Michael Dowd
Friday, October 2, AD 2015 6:21am

To CAM. I guess it was too good to last. Since they are getting flak from their gay constituents the Vatican is walking back, the now infamous (apparently to them), Kim Davis episode. What a bunch of mealy mouthed creeps. Disgusting. Let us hope the news report on this was incorrect.

Paul W Primavera
Friday, October 2, AD 2015 7:06am

I am disgusted again: http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/vatican-publishes-clarification-on-pope-s-meeting-with-kim-davis
.
Maybe we should start paying attention to our local parish briest and our local diocesan bishop. And if we don’t have a good parish priest, then maybe we should change parishes until we find one. Maybe in the end it is best if we pay no heed to what comes out of the Vatican – it is just too darn depressing.

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