Pittsburgh, Pa., Jan 12, 2005 / 22:00 pm
The fabric of democracy lies in religion, said U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum in his presentation at St. Paul’s Seminary in Crafton this week.
The "great gift of America" is that "we are free to espouse that faith in the public square," he was quoted as saying in a report published in the Tribune-Review. The pro-life senator spoke as part of the Diocese of Pittsburgh's lecture series, "Faithful Citizenship."
"If we divorce public life from faith, freedom itself will fail," he was quoted as saying.
He told the crowd that he views his political life through the lens of his Catholic faith and he spoke of the general public’s inaccurate presumption that politicians who don't bring faith into the public forum are neutral, reported the newspaper.
Santorum was first elected in 1995 and is the third-ranking Republican in the Senate. He has established his reputation for placing traditional values at the heart of political discussions. He is often mentioned as a possible GOP presidential candidate.