Christian conservative Bryan Fischer on
Friday claimed that the bullies in the “Gay Gestapo” have
intimidated Pope Francis into distancing himself from Kentucky county
clerk Kim Davis.
Davis, who is fighting to prevent her
county office from issuing marriage licenses to gay and lesbian
couples, told ABC News this week that she met the pope during his
recent trip to the United States. She said that he told her to “stay
strong” and said that she felt validated “just knowing that the
pope is on track with what we're doing.”
But on Friday, the Vatican distanced
itself from Davis, saying that the meeting “should not be
considered a form of support for her position” and that the pope
met Davis as part of a receiving line.
Mat Staver, chairman of Liberty
Counsel, the Christian law group representing the defiant clerk, has
disputed the Vatican's claims, telling the AP that Davis and her
husband Joe met Pope Francis in a separate room.
Fischer told his radio listeners that
he believes Staver's version of events, because he is “a man of
absolute, unquestioned integrity. So, when Mat Staver speaks, he is
going to tell you the truth.”
“What this story illustrates is the
power of the Gay Gestapo,” said
Fischer, a vocal opponent of LGBT rights. “What this story
illustrates is the power and the influence of the pro-sodomy lobby in
international affairs. Big Gay and homosexual lobby, homosexual
activists, have so much power that they can intimidate the pope
himself. ... The bigots and bullies of Big Gay have intimidated the
pope.”
Meanwhile, video surfaced Friday of the
pope holding a private meeting with a former student, who happens to
be gay.
(Related: Pope
Francis met with gay couple in U.S.)