Santorum still sick over JFK comments on church, state (VIDEO)
Then Sen. John F. Kennedy’s 1960 speech about separating church and state almost made Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum “throw up.”
Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum didn’t shy from comments he made last year, saying JFK’s speech about separating church and state still makes him sick.
Speaking on ABC’s This Week, the former Pennsylvania senator said then Sen. John F. Kennedy’s famous 1960 speech in Houston “makes me throw up.”
“To say that people of faith have no role in the public square? You bet that makes you throw up. What kind of country do we live that says only people of non-faith can come into the public square and make their case?” Santorum told host George Stephanopoulos.
Kennedy’s speech came during his campaign for president. He was trying to assure a group of Protestant leaders that he would not lead from one perspective, CBS News said.
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JFK said he isn’t “the Catholic candidate for President. I am the Democratic Party’s candidate for President who happens also to be a Catholic.”
Santorum originally made his comments last October during an appearance at College of Saint Mary Magdalen in Warner, N.H., the Washington Post said.
“Earlier in my political career, I had the opportunity to read the speech, and I almost threw up. You should read the speech,” Santorum said then, according to the Post.
He reiterated those comments today, saying religion plays a fundamental role in government.
“I don’t believe in an America where the separation of church and state is absolute,” Santorum said. “The idea that the church can have no influence or no involvement in the operation of the state is absolutely antithetical to the objectives and vision of our country.”
The GOP race heads to Michigan and Arizona on Tuesday.
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