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Reporters Asked Pope Francis If He Supports People Who Refuse to Grant Gay Marriage Licenses on Religious Grounds. Here's His Response.
President Barack Obama leans over to talk to Pope Francis during a state arrival ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2015. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Reporters Asked Pope Francis If He Supports People Who Refuse to Grant Gay Marriage Licenses on Religious Grounds. Here's His Response.

"I can't have in mind all the cases that can exist about conscientious objection, but..."

Just hours after President Barack Obama told the LGBT community at a Democratic fundraiser that "religious freedom doesn’t grant us the freedom to deny our fellow Americans their constitutional rights," Pope Francis seemingly had a very different message.

When asked aboard the papal plane whether he supports individuals who refuse to violate religious conscience as in the cases of those who decline to grant gay marriage licenses, the pontiff seemingly offered up support for people like Kentucky clerk Kim Davis, NBC News reported.

"I can't have in mind all the 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. It is a right," he said in remarks that were translated by pool reporters. "And if a person does not allow others to be a conscientious objector, he denies a right."

President Barack Obama leans over to talk to Pope Francis during a state arrival ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2015. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Pope Francis also expressed his belief that such protections should be built into judicial systems.

"Conscientious objection must enter into every juridical structure because it is a right, a human right," he said. "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 pontiff did not name Davis or anyone else for that matter in making these remarks, though he did extend them to government workers.

"It is a human right and if a government official is a human person, he has that right," he said. "It is a human right."

As TheBlaze previously reported, Obama struck a different tone when he addressed members of the LGBT community at a Democratic fundraiser on Sunday, proclaiming that religious freedom isn’t a good or acceptable reason to deny other Americans their constitutional rights.

Pope Francis waves to school children as he walks towards them after arriving at the Apostolic Nunciature, the Vatican's diplomatic mission in Washington, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2015, after an address to a joint meeting of Congress. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

“We affirm that we cherish our religious freedom and are profoundly respectful of religious traditions,” Obama said at the Democratic National Committee LGBT Gala at Gotham Hall in New York City, according to the Associated Press. “But we also have to say clearly that our religious freedom doesn’t grant us the freedom to deny our fellow Americans their constitutional rights.”

(H/T: NBC News)

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Billy Hallowell

Billy Hallowell

Billy Hallowell is the director of communications and content for PureFlix.com, whose mission is to create God-honoring entertainment that strengthens the faith and values of individuals and families. He's a former senior editor at Faithwire.com and the former faith and culture editor at TheBlaze. He has contributed to FoxNews.com, The Washington Post, Human Events, The Daily Caller, Mediaite, and The Huffington Post, among other outlets. Visit his website (billyhallowell.com) for more of his work.