Following the confirmation by the Vatican that Pope Francis met in secret last week with anti-gay Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis, LGBT Catholic group New Ways Ministry Executive Director Francis DeBernardo released a statement saying that the meeting between Davis and the pontiff “raises a red flag about where he stands on LGBT issues.”
DeBernardo said that news of the meeting “throws a wet blanket on the good will that the pontiff” garnered on his US trip and that it is “puzzling”:
What was special about Kim Davis' case that the pope decided to meet only with her? Moreover, why did he do so secretly. In his remarks during the airplane interview on his way back to Rome, Francis was asked about exactly the type of case that Davis represents, and he refused to comment on any specific case.
DeBernardo also elaborated on the contradiction inherent in Pope Francis' remarks on his trip back to the Vatican which suggested he didn't know about Kim Davis' case when he had just met with her:
In his remarks during the airplane interview on his way back to Rome, Francis was asked about exactly the type of case that Davis represents, and he refused to comment on any specific case. Why did he not tell reporters then that he had met with her? After those remarks became public, New Ways Ministry had commented that the pope was incorrect in labeling the refusal to issue marriage licenses as conscientious objection.
You can read the full statement HERE.
