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Thursday, October 1, 2015

Stop Defending the Pope and Call Out Those Who Put Him in an Untenable Situation

Full transcript of Pope Francis' inflight interview from Philadelphia to Rome at Catholic News Agency

Regarding the Pope and his visit with Kim Davis:

From the transcript:
Terry Moran, ABC News: "And, Holy Father, do you also 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 in issuing marriage licenses to same sex couples? Do you support those kinds of claims of religious liberty?"

Pope Francis: ”I can’t have in mind all cases that can exist about conscientious objection. But, yes, I can say 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. Conscientious objection must enter into every juridical structure because it is a right, a human right...”

Terry Moran, ABC News: "Would that include government officials as well?"

Pope Francis: "It is a human right and if a government official is a human person, he has that right. It is a human right."

My Response:

This dialogue makes clear that the Pope does NOT understand that in the United States, a government official CANNOT act upon their "conscientious objections" while discharging their duties, because, as in the case of Ms. Davis, it is an act of discrimination - an act that is against Section 1 of the 14th Amendment. Stop defending him and call him out on his ignorance or the ignorance of the people who put him in this untenable situation.

Furthermore, if people wonder what occurred during the Pope's meeting with Ms. Davis, here is a link to a video by Ms. Davis' lawyer who details what was said during the meeting.

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