Santorum's extreme Catholic beliefs are in contrast to then-Democratic presidential candidate John F. Kennedy's promise that his Catholicism did not mean he took orders from the Pope in Rome.
While Kennedy was able to fend off attacks by his enemies that he was beholden to the Vatican, Santorum is in no such position.
In fact, in 2002, Santorum attended the Vatican's 100th anniversary ceremony of the birth of Opus Dei founder St. Josemaria Escriva, who was the spiritual adviser to Spain's fascist dictator Francisco Franco.
The junior senator from Pennsylvania told the National Catholic Reporter that Kennedy's separation of his personal religious beliefs from his public duties as president resulted in "great harm to America."
Santorum is a congregant of the Opus Dei-linked St. Catherine of Siena Roman Catholic Church in upscale Great Falls, Virginia, not far from the CIA headquarters in Langley.
St. Catherine is noted for its Latin masses. The congregation counts other Catholic notables among its members, including Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonin Scalia and jailed-for-life FBI Russian spy Robert Hanssen . .
In 2004, Santorum and his wife became Knight and Dame of Magistral Grace of the Knights of Malta at a ceremony at St. Patrick's Church in New York. The Sovereign Military Order of Malta, headquartered in Rome, enjoys, as does Vatican City, independent diplomatic status and representation at the UN by an observer mission.
