The last time an upstart Catholic senator decided to run for president we got…Mr. Kerry. Oh well, before that we got John F. Kennedy, a martyr among men and champion of all. These guys now… We’ll, they’re no Jack Kennedy but they do run on different platforms rooter in different interpretations of the Catholic faith.
Presidential contenders Chris Dodd and Sam Brownback — one Democrat, one Republican — demonstrated Monday how their political differences are rooted in their varying interpretations of their shared Catholic faith.
The two senators, appearing jointly at a Boston College forum on faith and politics, differed on abortion rights, civil unions for gay couples and embryonic stem cell research. Nonetheless, they used modest tones to suggest that Democrats and Republicans could bridge such gaps with more tolerance for their opponents’ positions.
While the two Catholics agreed that marriage should be reserved for a man and a woman — not gay couples — they differed in talking about their views on homosexuality.
Dodd, the father of two young girls, said, “I think it’s a good question to ask how you would like your children treated.”
Brownback, however, called homosexual acts immoral — as has the Catholic church — and said sanctioning them threatens the stability of traditional marriage.