It was vintage Santorum, underscoring his unique, sometimes frustrating contribution to the national debate on a host of issues, from abortion to same-sex "marriage" to the appropriate role of religious believers in the public square.

On the afternoon of April 10, Santorum suspended his bid to secure the GOP presidential nomination. But his hard-charging approach to social issues is likely to live on as religiously-minded voters take stock of his GOP rival, Mitt Romney, long accused of "flip flopping" on key social issues, and President Barack Obama, still engaged in a public conflict with the U.S. bishops over the free exercise of Catholic institutions.

Further, Santorum's comments about Kennedy have drawn Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York into the long-simmering dispute over JFK's legacy. Decades ago, when self-identified Catholic politicians began supporting abortion rights while describing themselves as "personally opposed," prolife activists blamed JFK for driving a wedge between Catholic teaching and practical politics.

However, during a televised interview broadcast this Easter Sunday, Cardinal Dolan asserted that both JFK and Santorum were right.

Continue reading: Was JFK right to uphold an 'absolute' separation of Church and state?

Image: Veracity Stew

The survey indicated people are of the view the import of religion in politics is a reasonably recent occurrence, with Democrats and independents being the main culprits.

However, according to a Washington Post-ABC poll released last week, in general, Americans continue to think the nation has gone too far in keeping religion and government separate

The poll showed Americans to be more wary of religion's influence on politicians themselves: 63 percent continue to say political leaders should not rely on their religious beliefs in making policy decisions.

Supporters of Republican presidential hopeful Rick Santorum, a clearly identified Catholic, take a very different view on religion's role in politics in both polls.

Nearly 60% of Santorum's supporters in the Post-ABC poll say the country has gone too far in keeping church and state separate compared with fewer than 40% of Mitt Romney's supporters or the overall public says this.

While 30 percent of all Americans and 24% of Romney backers say there's been "too little" talk of faith and politics in the Pew survey, that surges to 55% among Santorum's supporters.

Turning the attention of the Poll to US President, Barack Obama, nearly twice as many white Catholics say the Obama administration is unfriendly toward religion as said this two years ago, (up from 17 to 31%).

It is not clear why people are thinking this way, however pollsters suggest it might be the result of the birth control controversy, although Obama's approval rating among white Catholics has changed little since the controversy gained steam.

Source

• Washington Post
• Image: Washington Post

Instead, he has performed will among the evangelical Christian voters.

Santorum, who has spoken spoken with a conservative voice on social issues, a man who seeks prayers as well as votes and placed a strong emphasis on family life, received another setback in the strongly-Catholic Puerto Rico primary when Mitt Romney crushed his rivals.

Romney's "Catholic-vote" advantage over Santorum is reported to be above 20 percentage points.

Searching to find out why, the only reason Santorum could pose was the religious fervour of Catholics is less uniform than the evangelicals.

"You know, I really wish I could tell you. The bottom line is that we do well among people who take their faith seriously, and as you know, just like some Protestants are not churchgoing, they are folks who identify with a particular religion but don't necessarily practice that from the standpoint of going to church and the like. And I think folks who do practice their religion more ardently, I think we do well [with them], Santorum told Sandy Rios of American Family Radio.

"Just being Catholic by no means buys you anything in the Catholic vote anymore," said Mark Gray, a researcher at Georgetown University's Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate, who specializes in American Catholics.

Only 20% of Catholics on average said it mattered "a great deal" that a candidate share their religious beliefs, compared with one-third of non-Catholics in exit polls that asked the question.

According the the Pew Research Centre, some Catholics have mistaken Santorum's rather black and white, good and evil, moralistic campaign as one conducted by a conservative Protestant.

Sources

• Huffington Post
• Richmond Times Dispatch
• Image: Huffington Post

Dr. Kenneth L. Garver was a Pittsburgh pediatrician who specialized in medical genetics. The patriarch of a large Roman Catholic family, he had treated patients considering abortion but was strongly opposed to it.

"We sat across the table and the whole evening we talked about this issue," Mr. Santorum told an anti-abortion group last October. He left, he said, convinced "that there was only one place to be, from the standpoint of science as well as from the standpoint of faith."

For Mr. Santorum, a Republican candidate for president, that conversation was an early step on a path into a deeply conservative Catholic culture that has profoundly influenced his life as a husband, father and politician. Over the past two decades, he has undergone a religious transformation that is now spurring a national conversation about faith in the public sphere.

On the campaign trail, he has attacked President Obama for "phony theology," warned of the "dangers of contraceptives" and rejected John F. Kennedy's call for strict separation of church and state. His bold expressions of faith could affect his support in this week's Super Tuesday nominating contests, possibly helping with conservative Christians, especially in the South, but scaring off voters uncomfortable mixing so much religion in politics.

Central to Mr. Santorum's spiritual life is his wife, whom he calls "the rock which I stand upon." Before marrying, the couple decided to recommit themselves to their Catholic faith — a turnabout for Karen Santorum, who had been romantically involved with a well-known abortion provider in Pittsburgh and had openly supported abortion rights, according to several people who knew her then.

Continue reading: From nominal Catholic to clarion of faith

Image: Esquire

Santorum says the JFK 1960 speech delivered while campaigning to be the first Catholic US president, made him feel sick.

Gingrich on the other hand, calls the speech remarkable, telling Fox News that as president he would not obey any foreign religious leader.

Gingrich said Kennedy was declaring "that his first duty as president would be to do the job of president, and I think that's correct."

Where Gingrich and Santorum agree however is they both are of the view that US President Barack Obama is 'anti-religious'.

Santorum's comments have rocked some clergy.

Rev Nick Carter, president of Andover Newton Theological Schools is critical of Santorum's comments saying that Santorum's comments show a misunderstanding of the principle of church and state, that Kennedy laid out.

"The nature of what Kennedy did is he showed that he can be a person of deep personal faith but he can be a political leader who can be trusted by all," Carter said.

Rev. Laura Everett, executive director of the Massachusetts Council of Churches, labelled Santorum's remarks as "hard words to hear."

"When I went back to read [Kennedy's] speech again, I was struck by what a generous and hopeful vision of religious diversity that Kennedy spoke of 50 years ago," Everett said.

Even those who agree with Santorum's sentiments question his turn of phrase. H.L. Champion, president of Baptist.org, said he sympathizes with Santorum's views, but found the comment about throwing up was "superfluous."

On September 12, 1960, Kennedy the democratic candidate for president delivered a speech defending himself from skepticism over his Catholic faith.

Kennedy outlined his vision for America in which no church would impose their will on government, and no president would face a religious test for office.

"I belive in an America where the separation of church and state is absolute," he said.

"I do not speak for my church on public matters and the church does not speak for me."

Sources

• Washington Post
• Boston Globe
• Image: The Blaze