Rick Santorum is still reeling from Pope Francis’ remarks about how people shouldn’t procreate “like rabbits” and appeared on Newsmax TV today to speak with host Steve Malzberg about the pope’s comments.
Santorum told Malzberg that the pope is just the latest victim of the liberal media, alleging that reporters want to goad Pope Francis into making statements that will divide Roman Catholics.
“No doubt the pope is as solid as the pope, that’s not the issue, it’s what the media will do with some phrases that are out there like the use of ‘trickledown economics’ and the use of ‘breeding like rabbits,’ these are phrases out there that I think can be just taken out of context,” Santorum said, adding:
The casualness of the conversation [with reporters] leads many who would love to see division leads them to take those and run with them in a direction that the pope certainly didn’t attend. It’s hard because I know the pope’s heart. I read his encyclicals, I read his statements and they’re brilliant, they’re perfect, they’re right, and then he will say something which allows people to twist them and that is why it is hard to listen to because I know his heart and yet he will say things that I know he means innocently and I know they’re innocent but it can be taken by those, let’s just say not so innocent, to try to twist what his meanings really is.
Malzberg replied: “You’re talking about the liberal media with their agenda.”
“Yeah,” Santorum said. “It is. They want nothing more than to drive a real division between the church, not just here but around the world.”
“It hurts me to see him throw up softballs to the media to twist, I know he’s not doing it deliberately,” he said.
