FORMALITY

Vatican: Pope Didn’t Endorse Kim Davis

Did not discuss her case.

The Vatican on Friday aimed to downplay Pope Francis’s meeting with Kim Davis, the Kentucky county clerk who was jailed for refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, noting that the pontiff met with “several dozen” people at the Vatican’s embassy during his visit the U.S. In a statement, Vatican spokesman Rev. Federico Lombardi said the pope’s meeting “should not be considered a form of support of her position,” and occurred only because of Francis’s “kindness and availability.” Lombardi added the pope did not enter into the details of Davis’s case during the meeting with her. CBS News reported Thursday that Francis was “blindsided” by the meeting with Davis and even Lombardi was not made privy to it ahead of time.