Pope defends Kentucky clerk's refusal to license gay marriages

Pope Francis has defended the right of a Kentucky clerk who was jailed earlier this month after she had refused to issue marriage licences to same-sex couples.

"I can't have in mind all cases that can exist about conscientious objection but, yes, I can say that conscientious objection is a right that is a part of every human right," he said, speaking to reporters on his return flight to Rome.

"And if someone does not allow others to be a conscientious objector, he denies a right," he added.

Francis told reporters that conscientious objection had to be respected in legal structures. "Otherwise we would end up in a situation where we select what is a right, saying: 'This right has merit, this one does not’.”

Kim Davis, 50, who is the elected clerk to Rowan County in Kentucky, became a national cause celebre when in June she refused to uphold a Supreme Court ruling that the right to marriage for same sex couples was guaranteed by the 14th amendment of the United States Constitution.

As a devout Christian Mrs Davis objected to being forced to issue same sex marriage licences and subsequently refused in July this year.

After a well-publicised stand-off, Davis was charged with contempt of court for continuing to refuse to issue licences and was jailed for five days at the beginning of this month.

Licences were then issued by her office and she has since returned to work, but refuses to have her name printed on any licence for a same-sex marriage.

Throughout Davis claimed that she was doing “God’s work” in refusing the licences and is prepared to go to jail again, which her lawyers said over the weekend was entirely possible as a new appeal against her no-name policy goes before the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati last week.