Regarding this big, not-quite-confirmed news…
[Kim] Davis, who refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, says the private meeting occurred during the pope’s historic trip to the United States. After receiving a surprise phone call from a church official, the Kentucky county clerk says she traveled to Washington, D.C., where she and her husband Joe met the pope Sept. 24 at the Vatican Embassy.
Father Benedettini from the Vatican Press office released a statement after reports emerged that Davis and the pope had met.
“The Holy See is aware of the reports of Kim Davis meeting with the Holy Father. The Vatican does not confirm the meeting, nor does it deny the meeting. There will be no further information given,“ the statement reads.
The Apostolic Nunciature in Washington, D.C., has not commented on the matter.
If they did not meet, wouldn’t it be fairly easy for the Vatican to issue a statement saying it didn’t happen? Wouldn’t they want to deny meetings that didn’t happen?
For example, if you or I said we met the Pope during his Washington visit, would the Vatican refuse to confirm or deny that meeting? (Of course, this presumes you didn’t meet the Pope during his visit.)
If the meeting didn’t happen, isn’t Davis… what’s the term I’m looking for… ah, bearing false witness against her neighbor? And if she is telling the truth, why is Pope Francis hanging her out to dry by refusing to confirm the meeting?
UPDATE: The more I think about this, this meeting shouldn’t be that hard to verify, or at the very least, Davis should be able to produce a healthy amount of supporting evidence. Davis could produce her plane tickets or other proof of her trip to Washington. If she drove, does her car have a GPS? If she flew, did she keep cab receipts or other evidence of her trip to the Vatican Embassy? I presume the Vatican Embassy isn’t willing to share the visitor’s log, and I presume Davis wasn’t allowed to take a photo of the meeting. If she drove her own car, where did she park, and if it was in a garage, did she keep the receipt for that? Davis said the Pope gave her a rosary; can she show that and can we identify where it was made — is it rare or common?
ANOTHER UPDATE: Bingo: “On Wednesday, a Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, confirmed the meeting, but declined to elaborate on it.”