Attempting to stamp out a controversy that threatened to overshadow the many historic moments of the pope’s first visit to the United States, the Vatican issued a statement on Oct. 2 to clarify the circumstances of the pope’s meeting with embattled Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis. According to the statement, the meeting with Davis “should not be considered a form of support of her position in all of its particular and complex aspects.” Davis had been jailed for contempt of court for refusing to issue marriage licenses for same-sex couples. The Vatican spokesman, Federico Lombardi, S.J., confirmed that “the brief meeting” between Pope Francis and Davis took place at the Apostolic Nunciature in Washington, D.C., “as he prepared to depart for New York.” At that same time, he said, Pope Francis also “met with several dozen persons who had been invited by the nunciature to greet him as he prepared to leave Washington for New York City.” He explained that “such brief greetings occur on all papal visits and are due to the pope’s characteristic kindness and availability.”