Santorum: Morality can't be separated from politics

Rick Santorum says his Catholic faith was revived while he served in the U.S. Senate, and he makes no effort to hide the fact that his religious beliefs heavily influence his stances on public policy issues ranging from abortion to telecommunications regulations.

“Almost everything you do has a moral component,” he says. “What is a just rate of taxation? ... How do we treat the poor? How do we treat the disabled? How do we allocate resources on transportation projects?"

He added, “People say you should keep morality out of politics. It is impossible.”

The former lawmaker, who is seeking the Republican presidential nomination, spoke Wednesday night to about 20 people at a faith-based town hall meeting at the Machine Shed restaurant in Urbandale.

Santorum, who served 12 years in the Senate from Pennsylvania after four years in the House, described how he grew up Catholic, serving as an altar boy and dining on fish dinners on Fridays during Lent. But he drifted away from his faith in high school and college. Then as a young Congressman, he attended Mass on Sundays, but faith wasn’t at the center of his life.

But his attitude changed after he was elected to the Senate and he was invited to a weekly Bible study group at the Capitol. About the same time, his wife, Karen, and their young children moved from Pennsylvania to be with him in Washington, D.C., and they joined St. Catherine of Sienna, a Catholic church in Great Falls, Va., where Father Jerome Fasano explained the gospel “the way it needed to be preached.”

As his faith grew deeper, Santorum said he came to believe that he was not serving in the Senate on his own. “I had to find out, Lord, why I am here?"

He subsequently became a leader in Congress in opposing late-term abortions, even though many other Republicans were reluctant to do so. After participating in many debates on the abortion issue, pouring his heart and soul into his arguments, he said there was no doubt his stance was worthwhile. Some examples included a young woman from Michigan State University who cancelled her plans for an abortion and a man from London in a wheelchair with spina bifida who expressed support.

Santorum got high marks Wednesday night from several people who heard him speak.

“He is in line with everything that I believe on family and life issues. I don’t want a car salesman spiel; I want somebody who is real,” said Susan Swehla, a grandmother from Des Moines.

ABOUT THE EVENT

SETTING: Dining room at the Machine Shed restaurant in Urbandale.

CROWD: About 20 people.

REACTION: People listened attentively throughout his remarks and many stayed and talked afterward. Santorum visited individually with most people before he spoke.

WHAT'S NEXT: This was the fifth and final stop on a two-day Iowa campaign visit for Santorum, who has spoken at more events this Iowa caucus cycle than any other presidential candidate.