The Pope's meeting with Kim Davis, the Kentucky clerk who insists that she can't issue same sex marriage licenses "because God", succeeded in thoroughly politicizing the Pope's visit in which he had made a conscious effort not to appear to be taking sides in American politics, despite the conservative right's screams about him daring to mention the environment and poor people, which he justifiably does not consider to be solely American issues.
It now appears Kim Davis and her lawyer lied about the nature and content of her meeting with the Pope, and the Vatican is flatly denying her claims.
She did not meet with him alone as her lawyer originally insisted, she was part of a group of several dozen who met briefly with the pope as he was leaving for NY.
He did not tell her to "Stay strong". She made that up.
The Vatican has released a statement saying, in part, "his meeting with her should not be considered a form of support."
Kim Davis's lawyers are now basically calling the Vatican liars.
A series of videos accompanying the NY Times article are very revealing.
And she was not even invited by the Vatican. She was invited by a church official, Carlo Maria Vigano, residing in this country after having been appointed by former Pope Benedict as Vatican ambassador to the United States. Carlo Maria Vigano is well known for his conservative views and for attending and speaking at anti-gay rallies.
His efforts to politicize the Pope's visit for his own bigoted agenda is backfiring, and there is now significant international pressure on the Vatican to have Vigano resign, or be removed.
This is not the first time Vigano and the Pope have bumped heads, or the first time this "family values" church official has done something that doesn't appear very "family values" oriented.
Earlier this year Pope Francis forced Kansas City Bishop Robert Finn to resign after Finn was convicted of covering up clergy sexual abuse. Despite this, Vigano allowed Finn to continue ordaining priests until a new bishop was appointed.
And Kim Davis and her lawyer who lied about the nature and content of the meeting? Well, it's okay for people like this to lie, in their minds, because "God is on their side". He'll just give her a pass on this particular mortal sin. Sure.
On the other hand, it now seems God's emissary to the Catholic faith has a different take on her blatant exploitation of a meeting he had no part in arranging. As fascinating as Americans seem to think every aspect of our politics are to people in other countries, it now seems likely Pope Francis had no idea who she even was.