Santorum acknowledged that his Catholicism “gets mentioned a lot” by the media. But the attention does not bother him.
“Bring it on,” he said. “I’m happy to talk about it. It is a part of my life.”
“I’m proud of being a Catholic,” Santorum added. “I’m proud of the teachings of the Church.”
Santorum also said that those who do not share his beliefs should not feel threatened by him.
“James Madison called the First Amendment the ‘perfect remedy,’” he said. “All views are allowed in the public square – people with faith, people without faith.”
“People can make their claims, and we can have a substantive and vibrant debate,” he added.
“No one should feel threatened, any more than I would feel threatened by someone bringing their ideas in.”
Instead, the presidential hopeful welcomes a reasoned dialogue between different viewpoints.
“I may feel challenged by them because they require me to rigorously defend what I believe in and to argue for what I believe in, but that’s a good thing, not a bad thing.”
Michelle La Rosa is deputy editor-in-chief of Catholic News Agency. She has worked for CNA since 2011. She studied political philosophy and journalism at the University of Dallas.