PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — Former Pennsylvania senator and presidential hopeful Rick Santorum spoke with Talk Radio 1210 WPHT midday host Dom Giordano about Pope Francis ahead of the Pope’s visit to Philadelphia this fall.

READ: Santorum Says Conservatives Getting Too Worked Up Over What They See As Their Differences With Pope’s Message

“The perception that the media would like to give of Pope Francis and the reality are two different things…I’m a huge fan of his, and his focus on making sure that we have a healthier society…I support completely the Pope’s call for us to do more to create opportunities for people to be able to rise in society and care for the poor. That’s our obligation as a society.”

Seeing that it is expected by many that Pope Francis will release an encyclical on climate change, Santorum says he disagrees with what he expects to hear in it.

“The Church has gotten it wrong a few times on science, and I think we’re probably better off leaving science to the scientists and focus on what we’re really good on, which is theology and morality. When we get involved with political and controversial scientific theories, then I think the church is probably not as forceful and credible.”

According to Santorum, this is not the first time that he has told religious leaders to shy away from matters of science and focus more on the church’s principles.

“I’ve said this to Catholic bishops many times — when they get involved with agriculture policy or things like that that are really outside the scope of what the Church’s main message is, that we’re better off sticking to things that are really the core teachings of the Church as opposed to getting involved with every other kind of issue that happens to be popular at the time.”