Kim Davis' Lawyer Claims She Had Secret Meeting With Pope Francis

[onager]

Apparently two celebrity non-bigots got together to compare their non-bigotry.

Attorneys for Kentucky official Kim Davis claimed Tuesday that she had a secret meeting with Pope Francis during his trip to America — and said he told the defiant county clerk to "stay strong."

The clandestine communication occurred in Washington, D.C., on Thursday — the same day as the pontiff's historic speech to a joint session of Congress, according to Liberty Counsel, which has represented Davis in her legal battles...

"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," Davis said in the statement. "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 was in Washington for the Values Voter Summit, where the Family Research Council, which opposes same-sex marriage, presented her with an award for defying the federal judge.

NBC News could not immediately verify Liberty Counsel's statements with the Vatican.

But the Rev. Federico Lombardi, a Vatican spokesman, didn't deny the encounter took place but told The Associated Press that he had no comment on the topic.

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/pope-francis-visits-america/kim-davis-lawyer-claims-she-had-secret-meeting-pope-francis-n435916

[Hepburn]

1. Wack job represented by lying wack job

Sooooooo...what's new for the religious right?

[Goblinmonger]

2. Wait, I thought the pope was a clueless old guy that doesn't follow the news

and when he said what he did about Davis he didn't really know the nuances.

But, yet, now it looks like he knew quite a bit about it.

So those people that made that argument would have been....what?

[trotsky]

3. Kim Davis doesn't like teh gay. She's bad.

Wonderpope Frank doesn't like teh gay. But he's good!

DU confuses the hell out of me sometimes.

[Faux pas]

4. I don't believe

a word she or her attorney says. Wonder why that is?

[Goblinmonger]

6. So when he supported her in his speech

that was, what? A coincidence?

[Faux pas]

8. ...

I said was I don't believe her. It was a statement, it doesn't need an explanation, does it? POOF

[trotsky]

34. You should probably read this.

How Pope Francis Undermined the Goodwill of His Trip and Proved to Be a Coward

[rug]

9. Quote the "support" or admit the error.

[rug]

14. Never mind, I'll fix it for you.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1218213819

[trotsky]

12. Do you believe the Vatican?

See post 7 below.

[rug]

15. Do you believe Kim Davis' lawyers?

See post 14 above.

[edhopper]

21. So you accept he did meet with her.

Don't you think of all the people he could have singled out for that honor, to give it to someone who represents religious bigotry is unwise?
He must be fully aware of the support this gives her.

[rug]

22. Of course he met with her.

Last edited Wed Sep 30, 2015, 06:37 PM - Edit history (1)

Do you know why or what was discussed? Do you know who arranged it?

On my way home NPR had a brief interview with her lawyer. There was so much spin my brakes froze. I think it was "All Things Considered". See if you can find the podcast.

I don't like to log on to DU and see the same spin.

ETA to add link: http://www.npr.org/2015/09/30/444790845/kim-davis-met-pope-francis-in-washington-d-c-attorney-says

[edhopper]

24. Does it matter?

For a Pope who is suppose to be so savvy about these things, do you really think he didn't know meeting with her does not boast her standing.

Though I really didn't expect you to criticize him for this, or anything for that matter.

You met expectations.

[rug]

25. You think it doesn't matter why he met her?

You met expectations.

[edhopper]

28. Since he made no statement and already said something in support of her

this appearance of support says enough.

You can bend all the over backwards not to see that , but that is what it is.

[rug]

29. This is the entirety of the reported qestion and answer on the plane to Rome:

The pontiff was asked: "Do you … support those individuals, including government officials, who say they cannot in good conscience, their own personal conscience, abide by some laws or discharge their duties as government officials, for example when issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples?"

He did not refer specifically to Davis in his reply, saying: "I can't have in mind all the cases that can exist about conscientious objection … but yes, I can say that conscientious objection is a right that is a part of every human right. It is a right. And if a person does not allow others to be a conscientious objector, he denies a right."

Now run with it.

In the meantime I'll dust off some UFO artifacts to sell you.

[edhopper]

30. keep tryingbto

Excuse this shit. But no one else is buying it.

[rug]

31. keep tryingbto

conjure fact from this shit.

Are you now speaking for anyone besides yourself?

[edhopper]

32. okay

Pointing to typos from a tablet now.

Have a good night.

[rug]

33. You too.

[NCjack]

5. Surely Kim Davis expressed her concern to the Pope about what goes on

behind closed doors in an all male club.

[Small Accumulates]

7. Vatican confirms it

On Wednesday, the Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, confirmed the meeting, but he declined to elaborate. “I do not deny that the meeting took place, but I have no other comments to add,” he said.

Mr. Staver said that Vatican officials had been aware of Ms. Davis, and that the meeting had been arranged through them — not through bishops or the bishops’ conference in the United States. He would not identify the Vatican officials.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/30/us/county-clerk-kim-davis-who-denied-gay-couples-visited-pope.html?_r=0

[rug]

10. Is the content of the conversation confirmed?

Did he say "Go get 'em. Kim"? Or is this simply another wayward soul he met?

[LostOne4Ever]

11. And who is surprised? nt

[trotsky]

13. Bigots of a feather... n/t

[rug]

16. Indeed. A hallmark of bigotry is condemnation without facts.

You know, just because.

[skepticscott]

17. Yes, as some here have proclaimed

The pope is a true inspiration to us all.

And definitely a "uniter". Of bigots.

[onager]

20. I'm seeing enough back-pedaling to win the Tour de France in reverse.

Also the usual minimizing, denial and hand-waving that this meeting ever happened. And even if there's the tiniest, remotest chance Pope PR did meet Davis, whatever happened between them is not what any of us grumps suspected. Whatever that might have been.

Remind me again - who invented the word "propaganda?"

[struggle4progress]

18. She says the meeting took place Thursday afternoon in the embassy.

He was in DC then. A bit after 11A he visited St. Patrick’s and the Catholic Charities of the archdiocese. Around 4P he left from Andrews for Philadelphia

He might have squeezed her hand and exchanged a few words, but she didn't get the 15 minute private meeting with him she claimed: there would have been way too many other people who would have wanted to say hi to him. The Catholic Charities he visited, for example, employs 900 people; and you can bet a lot of them turned up Thursday afternoon

[Goblinmonger]

19. Yeah, I'll take your word on that.

And how long is too long for him to be giving her his support?

[muriel_volestrangler]

23. He was at Catholic Charities for about 20 minutes, so until 12:50

Pope Francis came to St. Patrick’s Catholic Church for a short visit Thursday to greet and bless Catholic Charities’ in-need clients, donors and program leaders.
...
The pope’s now-famous Fiat drove down F Street, arriving at St. Patrick’s at about 12:30 p.m. He spent a few minutes inside the church then greeted people eating lunch in a large tent pitched on G Street. He was there for about 20 minutes.
...
He said he was grateful for the chance to see the pope, but felt like he was just like any other person. “I didn’t get to see much because everybody got up and start moving to him and then he exited.”

http://www.shfwire.com/pope-francis-bless-200-catholic-charities-lunch/

So there's quite a bit of time for 15 minutes with Davis between then and 4pm.

[struggle4progress]

27. Could be. But I can't see it. Your view seems to be that the archdiocese, its historical cathedral,

and its very large charity outfit get twenty minutes of his time -- and Kim Davis gets fifteen minutes

The content in the account from her, and from her lawyer, doesn't really suggest fifteen minutes, though they claim it: the content suggests a very brief encounter, followed by here's a rosary. By now, we should be cautious about accepting her lawyer's claims, since he continues to fabricate, as with the non-existent giant Peruvian rally for Kim

I don't think it's easy to get much face time with the Pope. People I've known, who gotten papal audiences, described the encounter as short and pleasant.

[muriel_volestrangler]

37. Whether she got a full 15 minutes, I can't tell, but there's plenty of room for it

I agree a whole 15 minutes sounds quite unlikely, since there would be a lot of talk to fill that, and even her account doesn't sound as though there was enough. The basic thing is that she and her husband did get a private meeting with him (I don't know if all of those count as 'audiences', or if something qualifies a meeting as an audience), said a few things, and he gave them rosaries, which they're giving to their Catholic parents.

[Turbineguy]

26. Oh, it was a secret meeting!

That means I'm not actually reading this. In fact, I never opened this thread. Because it doesn't exist.

[No Vested Interest]

35. Lawrence O'Donnell said the papal nuncio arranged the meeting.

Apparently the Nuncio is known to be a conservative, and Lawrence O'Donnell said he will be leaving the post in a matter of months, and some U. S. clergy would like it to be sooner.

We do not know how this person - Kim Davis- was explained to Pope Francis, and how Francis understood the meeting. He was a guest in the Papal Nuncio's home and may have felt pressured to comply or at least be polite.

Kim Davis was in Washington at the Value Voters meeting to receive an award, and likely someone with motives one can presume felt it was a good opportunity to further her and their cause.

[Yorktown]

36. Yeah, right, the nuncio did it

Meanwhile, in the big religious apparatus the RCC put up to organize the event, nobody noticed who Kim Davis was and nobody told good old francis that Kim Davis was a 3 times divorcee who just entered the business of deciding who could marry or not.

But yeah, sure, the nuncio did it.

with a candelabra in the study room.

[Goblinmonger]

38. You guys are hilarious

I mean when it comes to global warming, this guy is a fucking genius who is fighting the good fight with all kinds of knowledge and a giant cup of kick-ass and awesomeness.

But when it comes to gay marriage and Kim Davis, he's just a nattering old dumbass who can barely remember to swallow the spittle that is pooling at the side of his mouth.

Make sure you don't crush a vertebra trying to contort yourself to be the apologist for the pope.

[Fix The Stupid]

39. This right here. BRavo. n.t