We’ve long been told this is the cool pope, this is the chilled out pope. That this pope is actually going to make everyone’s lives better, especially those in the Catholic world. He’s walked among his followers instead of just presiding above them, begged America to help reverse climate change, told bishops to pardon women who’ve had abortions, and when previously asked about gay relationships, has said ‘who am I to judge?’
But on his trip to America, Pope Francis took time to meet with Kim Davis, the Kentucky county clerk who was temporarily imprisoned after refusing to issue marriage licences to gay couples (it’s a legal right for same sex couples to marry just as straight couples do).
She said, reports the BBC, that he was the one who asked to meet her at the Vatican’s embassy in Washington DC: ‘It was very humbling to even think he would even want to meet me or know me.’
Dishing all on the meeting, she said: ‘I hugged him and he hugged me and he said, “Thank you for your courage.”’
‘It was a great encouragement just knowing that the pope is on track with what we’re doing and agreeing, kind of validates everything.’
The Vatican has not denied that the pair met, and when asked about the wider issue, the pope told a press conference: ‘If a person is prevented form exercising their conscientious objection, they are denied a right.’
So it seems as if, for all of his cool, hip new ideas, the pope is still Catholic. Maybe, what Kim’s saying is nonsense and all the pope wanted to do is clip her round the ear for harbouring so much hate. More hopefully, though, what the pope has to say on any matter won’t too badly affect people growing up gay and religious.
It’s worth wondering, though, why the pope met with Kim Davis over any of the families of civilians – disproportionately black men killed by police or while in police custody. Or why he didn’t meet with the families of the nine victims of the Charleston church shootings.
Perhaps it’s quicker to meet with one bigot than to meet with all those many grieving families.
Follow Sophie on Twitter @sophwilkinson
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.