--- title: Pope Francis Met Kim Davis—That's What a 'Pontifex' Does description: He also met Vladimir Putin and Fidel Castro. That doesn't mean he sanctions their actions canonical: https://time.com/4056574/pope-francis-kim-davis/ author: Christopher Hale article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-09-30T21:06:42.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:57:36.849Z article:section: Ideas og:title: Of Course the Pope Met Kim Davis—That's What a 'Pontifex' Does og:description: He also met Vladimir Putin and Fidel Castro. That doesn't mean he sanctions their actions og:url: https://time.com/4056574/pope-francis-kim-davis/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf0c7e04e8882ce10/69886631e20a87a2c2a8d8a1/pope-francis18.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4928 og:image:height: 2772 og:image:alt: VATICAN-POPE-AUDIENCE og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Of Course the Pope Met Kim Davis—That's What a 'Pontifex' Does twitter:description: He also met Vladimir Putin and Fidel Castro. That doesn't mean he sanctions their actions twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf0c7e04e8882ce10/69886631e20a87a2c2a8d8a1/pope-francis18.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Of Course the Pope Met Kim Davis—That's What a 'Pontifex' Does > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=12d743a9-15aa-4eef-8223-0c57d13bb27d&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Pope Francis's Last Day in the U.S. Highlights [Watch (HLS stream): Pope Francis's Last Day in the U.S. Highlights](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/xcutAfNo.m3u8) (3:25)  _Published 2015-09-28. Pope Francis's Last Day in the U.S. Highlights_ by [Christopher Hale](https://time.com/author/christopher-j-hale-2/) ## Christopher Hale Sep 30, 2015 9:06 PM UTC  Pope Francis prays during his weekly general audience at St Peter's square on Sept. 30, 2015 at the Vatican. Pope Francis prays during his weekly general audience at St Peter's square on Sept. 30, 2015 at the Vatican. Andreas Solaro—AFP/Getty Images by [Christopher Hale](https://time.com/author/christopher-j-hale-2/) ## Christopher Hale Sep 30, 2015 9:06 PM UTC A small firestorm broke out on Wednesday as word got out that Pope Francis had a previously undisclosed [meeting](http://time.com/4055697/pope-francis-kim-davis-kentucky-clerk-meeting/) with Kim Davis, the Kentucky country clerk who refused to issue same-sex marriage licenses. Francis’s decision to meet with Davis was understandably upsetting to many in the LGBT community, particularly in a week where Francis called on bishops to not wade into every culture war. But before being too critical of Francis, we should put this event in context. For six days, Pope Francis’s words and deeds transfixed our nation. He spoke boldly to our nation’s leaders about God’s particular love for the excluded. He ate lunch with the homeless, sang songs with immigrant children, and told prisoners that God’s mercy was boundless. A brief private meeting with Kim Davis doesn’t change that. As Jesuit priest Fr. James Martin [put](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2015/09/30/relax-pope-francis-meeting-with-kim-davis-isnt-such-a-big-deal/) perfectly, “Pope Francis also met Mark Wahlberg, and that does not mean that he liked _Ted_.” The pope has [said](http://time.com/4055697/pope-francis-kim-davis-kentucky-clerk-meeting/) before that he wants to encounter all people: --- > “” --- This can cause trouble sometimes. Conservatives were upset when the White House invited LGBT Catholics to the pope’s arrival ceremony, and others were frustrated that a gay man was chosen to be a lector at his Mass at Madison Square Garden. This doesn’t seem to bother Francis too much. The word “pope” derives from the Latin _pontifex_, which means “bridge builder.” From the beginning of his pontificate, Francis has embodied this radical understanding of the papacy. A common refrain on social media today is that retweets don’t equal endorsements. Can the same be said of the Bishop of Rome? The pope encounters thousands of men and women every year, but surely those meetings aren’t endorsements of every action those individuals take? Meeting privately with Kim Davis is controversial, but keep in mind that this is a pope whose public and private meetings have included everyone from prisoners to Vladimir Putin to Fidel Castro. And while he met with Kim Davis, he also met with some undeniable American heroes, including Sister Donna Markham, who runs Catholic Charities USA; Sister Mary Scullion, who has dedicated her lives to the poor in Philadelphia; and Sister Norma Pimentel, who ministers to immigrants at the border. The pope’s advisors made a questionable decision to have Francis meet with Davis. After Judge David Bunning [put Davis in jail](https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CCEQFjAAahUKEwiK8Y%5F%5FyZ%5FIAhUGkA0KHR5ZCRU&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2015%2F09%2F04%2Fus%2Fcontentious-case-over-same-sex-marriage-licenses-kentucky-judge-david-bunning-kim-davis.html&usg=AFQjCNHfw%5FB651-bHtXdvfHZmX8H1My8RA&sig2=8oVIChB7FEC-vKsk3OVrfA), conservatives hailed Kim Davis as a modern-day [St. Paul](http://www.rabbirami.com/get-slim-with-kim-how-kim-davis-should-respond-to-her-incarceration/). But let’s set the record straight: Kim Davis is no St. Paul, and unlike Dorothy Day and Martin Luther King—two authentic conscientious objectors that Francis lifted up in his trip to the U.S.—Davis didn’t practice moral heroism by refusing to step down as country clerk. While King and Day opted out of the system they morally disagreed with, Davis still receives a paycheck from the American people. This is an important moment for the Francis Effect on the American people. We can get caught in the details of who Francis visited and didn’t visit and what Francis said and didn’t say, or we can reflect on the trip in its entirety. Francis shared his hopeful, inclusive vision for a nation that continues to be a “[a land of dreams](https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CCQQFjABahUKEwi2x6WVyp%5FIAhWIHT4KHS1cCh4&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.usatoday.com%2Fvideos%2Fnews%2Fnation%2F2015%2F09%2F24%2F72739216%2F&usg=AFQjCNELdoGnpbTA9hKz0emcp4pb6vMeDQ&sig2=E55N1LB6j-Eam1nMBxc-jA&bvm=bv.103627116,d.cWw). Dreams which lead to action, to participation, to commitment. Dreams which awaken what is deepest and truest in the life of a people.” If reinvigorating these dreams is indeed the goal, the way forward is [just as clear](http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/09/24/443070564/watch-live-pope-francis-poised-to-speak-to-joint-meeting-of-congress): As Pope Francis has said, “If we want security, let us give security; if we want life, let us give life; if we want opportunities, let us provide opportunities​.” This great vision and challenge—not a brief politicized moment—will be the lasting legacy of Francis’s journey to the U.S. When Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected pope in March 2013, the pundits said he brought forth the Francis Revolution to the Catholic Church. If the American people do their part, we can make sure that revolution crosses the Atlantic and transforms our nation into that which Francis—and Jesus Christ himself—longs for it to be: a place where no one is excluded, and no one is left behind. ## Transcript [00:00] [ MUSIC ] [00:02] [ APPLAUSE ] [00:05] [ FOREIGN ]. God weeps. [ FOREIGN ]. [00:13] For the sexual abuse of children, these [00:18] cannot be maintained in secret. And I [00:23] commit To a careful [00:28] oversight to ensure that youth are protected. [00:32] [ MUSIC ] All [00:45] of us, are invited to encourage, help and enable [00:49] your rehabilitation. A rehabilitation which everyone [00:54] seeks and desires. Inmates, and their families [00:58] Correctional authorities, social, and educational [01:02] programs. A rehabilitation which benefits and elevates [01:06] the moral of the entire community and society. [01:18] [ FOREIGN ] I encourage you to have this attitude with [01:21] one another, and with all those who in any way are [01:24] part of this institution. May you make possible new [01:28] opportunities, new journeys, new paths. [ MUSIC ] In [01:29] the name of the Father [02:05] and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Peace [02:10] be with you. [ INAUDIBLE ] Brothers [02:14] and sisters, let us acknowledge our sins [02:20] and so prepare ourselves to celebrate [02:26] the sacred mistress. [ MUSIC ] Mister Vice President, I [02:31] ask you to renew my gratitude to President Obama. [02:34] And for the member of Congress to [02:41] [ INAUDIBLE ] assurance of my prayers for American [02:45] people. May our days together They are fruits [02:51] that will last, generosity and care for others [02:57] that will endure. I will pray for you and [03:01] your families and I ask you [03:06] please to pray for me. 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