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In reply to the discussion: Santorum says he ‘almost threw up’ after reading JFK speech on separation of church and state [View all]Jack Rabbit
(45,984 posts)Mr. Santorum does not understand the significance of Kennedy's speech in Houston. In 1960, there were people who simply would never vote for a Roman Catholic presidential candidate (or, in some cases, a Roman Catholic candidate for dog catcher) because of the suspicion that a Roman Catholic office holder would take his his cues directly from the Pope. Of course, that was ridiculous. That kind of anti-Catholic thinking was a holdover from the Thirty Years' War. Perhaps not so ridiculous that there weren't a dozen or so American Catholics out of millions who wouldn't have done that, but we wouldn't have elected them any way, then or now.
Whatever faint hopes Mr. Santorum has of ever becoming president he owes to Jack Kennedy for taking the approach he did to the issue of the relationship of faith in general and his faith in particular to public service. He is simply incapable of understanding that or appreciating Kenndey's wisdom on the matter.
If Mr. Santorum is a Roman Catholic, that's his business. If he wants to follow the Church's teaching about abortion and homosexuality to its extreme, that's his business. If he wants to propose that Congress enact legislation in accordance with that teaching, then it's my business, too.
There are no conceivable circumstances under which I could vote for Mr. Santorum, for president or dog catcher. That is not because is a Roman Catholic, but because he is a Roman who cannot distinguish between his Church's teachings and good public policy.