Santorum: 'Separation of Church and State' Meant to Protect Church from Gov't, Not Vice Versa

Santorum: 'Separation of Church and State' Meant to Protect Church from Gov't, Not Vice Versa; LifeSiteNews.com

"I believe in an America where the separation of church and state is absolute" - these words of U.S. President John F. Kennedy helped bring about today's "privatization of faith," which allows politicians to rationalize away their abandonment of moral principles in the public square, according to former U.S. senator Rick Santorum.


In a speech last Thursday at the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas Santorum contemplated the consequences of Kennedy's famous words, just before the fiftieth anniversary of the late president's address. His remarks were published in full by Catholic Online Monday.


The former U.S. senator pointed out the problems that arise from Kennedy's appeal to a "conscience" that is free off religious influences. The late president stated: "Whatever issue should come before me as President, if I should be elected, on birth control, divorce, censorship, gambling or any other subject I will make my decision ... in accordance with what my conscience tells me to be in the national interest and without regard to outside religious pressure or dictates."


"I too use my conscience as a guide, but you are not born with a competent conscience; it is formed and continues to be formed by something and reflects that formation," said Santorum. "If faith in objective and eternal truths is no longer going to inform your conscience what moral code will? And where does that code come from? And what is the basis of its authority? Doesn't the public have a right to know? Yet Kennedy's followers never tell us.”


Santorum also pointed out that according to current standards, consciences that are not rooted in faith "can be permitted to freely apply their ideas in making laws and deciding cases." But, he continued, "On the other hand, consciences rooted in a belief in God are free to apply their ideas to personal matters; but if your beliefs, in the words of my former senate colleague Chuck Schumer, are 'deeply held beliefs' that impact your public positions - they must be excluded."


Santorum took as an example the infamous speech of former New York Governor Mario Cuomo at the University of Notre Dame in 1984. Cuomo had justified his support of abortion laws despite his Catholic faith by declaring that, while privately opposed to the killing of the unborn, he would not impose his belief on others, who may believe differently. "This political hand washing made it easier for Catholics to be in public life, but it also made it harder for Catholics to be Catholic in public life," said Santorum.

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