Pope Francis appeared to offer support for those who claim they have the “religious liberty” to not do their jobs, perhaps even Kim Davis.
On the plane home to the Vatican, as he is known to do, Pope Francis freely answered questions from reporters after his grueling nine-day trip across Cuba and the United States.
“Do you … 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 when issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples?,” one unnamed reporter asked the pontiff, NBC News reports today.
“I can’t have in mind all the cases that can exist about conscientious objection,” Pope Francis responded, without mentioning Kentucky clerk Kim Davis, “but yes, I can say that 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. Otherwise we would end up in a situation where we select what is a right, saying, ‘this right that has merit, this one does not,'” the 78-year old pontiff continued.
LOOK:Â Obama: Religious Freedom Is Not A License To Deny Others Their Constitutional Rights
When asked if those rights applied to government official, the Pope did not differentiate.
“It is a human right and if a government official is a human person, he has that right. It is a human right,” he insisted.
It was in a similar situation, talking with reporters on a plane, when Pope Francis uttered his famous words about gay people in 2013, asking, “Who am I to judge?“
Expect Kim Davis supporters, who attacked Pope Francis all last week, to herald this news.
Â
EARLIER:
On Same-Sex Marriage And Family, Pope Rebukes Bishops Pushing ‘Dangerously Unbalanced’ Policy
Pope Francis Shares Progressive Message Before Congress But Takes Subtle Swipe At Same-Sex Marriage
A Gay Dad Invites Pope Francis To ‘Meet My Family Face-to-Face’
Â
Image: Screenshot via AP/YouTube