Catholic Politicians You Thought Were Evangelical
Correction Appended
Some Catholic politicos have become popular among evangelical Christians. So popular, in fact, that they can sometimes be mistaken for an evangelical themselves.
Here are five Catholic politicians who are often believed to be evangelicals:
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Rick Santorum
In 2005, then Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum, who is the current GOP front-runner, was named by Time Magazine as one of the 25 most influential evangelicals. Santorum's strong support of Israel, traditional family values and anti-abortion legislation has garnered him favor among evangelical Christians.
Jeb Bush
Former two-term Florida Governor Jeb Bush was born into conservative royalty. He is the second son of former President George H. W. Bush and former first lady Barbara Bush and the younger brother of former President George W. Bush. A former Episcopalian, Bush converted to Catholicism, the faith of his wife, Columba, in 1995.
Newt Gingrich
Republican Presidential Candidate and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich was baptized at a Southern Baptist church in New Orleans while he was attending graduate school. His conversion to Catholicism in 2009 came after he began attending mass in 2000 with his third wife, Callista.
Bobby Jindal
The first Indian-American governor in America grew up in a Hindu household and converted to Catholicism while in college. The former congressman was sworn in as governor of Louisiana in 2008 after running on a platform of ethics reform. Jindal has a consistently pro-life voting record and signed a bill that allows high school teachers to present alternative views to evolution, such as intelligent design.
Clarence Thomas
Six of the nine current Supreme Court justices are Catholic. Thomas attended a Catholic seminary for a short time before attending College of the Holy Cross, a private Catholic college in Worcester, Mass. Thomas was one of four dissenting judges in Planned Parenthood v. Casey (1992) who argued that Roe v. Wade (1973), the case that legalized abortion, was wrongly decided.
Correction: Wednesday, February 22, 2012:
An article on Tuesday, February 21, 2012, about Catholic politicians mistakenly stated that Tony Perkins, president of Family Research Council, is Catholic. Perkins is Southern Baptist.
