Pope Francis on Monday seemed to weigh in on the controversy surrounding Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis' refusal to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, claiming that such defiance is a "human right."

"Conscientious objection must enter into every judicial structure because it is a right," the leader of the world's more than 1.2 billion Catholics said as he was flying back from his 10-day trip to Cuba and the United States, according to Reuters. "And if someone does not allow others to be a conscientious objector, he denies a right."

The Argentine-born pontiff was asked whether he believed that government officials should be excused from abiding by laws or discharge duties they feel violate their conscience, as might be the case when they are required to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, NBC News reported.

"I can't have in mind all the cases that can exist about conscientious objection," the 78-year-old cautioned. "But yes, I can say that conscientious objection is a right that is a part of every human right. It is a right. And if a person does not allow others to be a conscientious objector, he denies a right."

Davis became a poster child for gay-marriage foes after the Rowan county clerk defied several federal rulings ordering her to implement the Supreme Court's landmark Obergefell v. Hodges decision, which earlier this year legalized same-sex unions across the United States.

U.S. District Judge David Bunning held that Davis' religious objections did not "excuse her from performing the duties that she took an oath to perform," the Christian Science Monitor reported. The clerk was eventually found in contempt of court and spent several days in jail, as Kentucky worked out a compromise allowing her not to sign the documents in question.

During his visit to the Western Hemisphere, Francis was not shy about weighing in on politically charged topics ranging from climate change to immigration reform. And the Church leader has been involved in international affairs throughout his pontificate and has been credited with helping restore diplomatic ties between the United States and Cuba, among other things, CNN reported.