Pope Francis' meeting in Washington last week with Kim Davis had been a routine one, the Vatican said Friday in a statement that distanced the pontiff from the controversial US clerk who fiercely opposes same-sex unions.
Davis was one of dozens of people the pope greeted in the US and that their encounter "should not be considered a form of support of her position in all of its particular and complex aspects," said Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi.
The clarification came after Francis met Davis, an Apostolic Christian jailed for refusing to issue same-sex marriage licenses, who has become a focal point in the gay marriage debate in the US.
Davis said earlier this week that Francis encouraged her to "stay strong" during a meeting with her and her husband at the Vatican's embassy in Washington last Friday.
News of the audience sent shockwaves through the US church. Initially the Vatican only reluctantly confirmed the meeting but offered no comment.
Lombardi said on Friday he had issued a fuller statement to "contribute to an objective understanding of what transpired."
As he left the US, Francis told reporters he did not know the details of Davis' case but defended conscientious objection as a human right.
"If a person does not allow others to be a conscientious objector, he denies a right," he said.
During the five-day US visit he hailed religious freedom as "one of America's most precious possessions" but did not focus on the debate over same-sex marriage. In one address he told US bishops to avoid "harsh and divisive" language despite the challenges they face in society.
