Senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania, the third-ranking Republican in the Senate, refused yesterday to back off on his earlier statements connecting Boston's ''liberalism" with the Roman Catholic Church pedophile scandal, saying that the city's ''sexual license" and ''sexual freedom" nurtured an environment where sexual abuse would occur. "The basic liberal attitude in that area . . . has an impact on people's behavior," Santorum said in an interview yesterday at the Capitol. "If you have a world view that I'm describing [about Boston] . . . that affirms alternative views of sexuality, that can lead to a lot of people taking it the wrong way," Santorum said.
Santorum, a leader among Christian conservatives, was responding to questions about remarks he made three years ago on a website called Catholic Online. In those comments, Santorum said, "It is no surprise that Boston, a seat of academic, political, and cultural liberalism in America, lies at the center of the storm" of the clergy sexual abuse scandal.
The junior senator is chairman of the Senate Republican Conference and is considered a possible candidate for his party's presidential nomination in 2008, if he wins reelection to a third Senate term next year.
''I was just saying that there's an attitude that is very open to sexual freedom that is more predominant" in Boston, Santorum said yesterday. Reminded that the sexual abuse occurred across the country, Santorum said that ''at the time [in 2002], there was an indication that there was more of a problem there" in Boston....
So let me get this straight-ish:
The Catholic priest abuse problem was created by the liberal attitude in Boston. Despite the fact that it occurred both nationally and world-wide, with reports and trials across the country, in Ireland, in Austria, in Australia, and elsewhere. Despite the well-documented fact that Boston's problem got so bad because the cardinal in charge kept moving abusive priests around and not disclosing their abuse, hoping against evidence that they'd spontaneously clean up their act. Despite the fact that the Catholic Church itself has always railed against the liberalism he decries.
... Well, all-righty, then! Glad to have that cleared up!
Here's the thing. Let's suppose, just suppose, that this is meant to play to conservative voters in Pennsylvania in what is apparently becoming a fairly difficult re-election contest. Many Catholics are fairly conservative voters. Will it really do to offend them this profoundly? Surely he can pander to the Protestant religious right without insulting the Catholic religious right. It can't possibly be that difficult.
Posted by iain at July 13, 2005 11:33 AM
