Rick Santorum, supposedly a faithful Catholic, tells the Pope to shut up about climate change. Not going to get into Heaven that way buddy.

Courtesy of Think Progress:  

On June 16, Pope Francis is expected to release an encyclical letter on the environment, the Catholic Church’s strongest statement to date on the moral issues associated with climate change. It’s a move that has environmentalists very excited — and one GOP presidential nominee less than thrilled. 

During an interview with a Philadelphia radio station on Monday, Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum — a devout Catholic — said that while he loves Pope Francis, he thinks the Pope should leave discussions about climate change to scientists. 

“The church has gotten it wrong a few times on science,” Santorum told radio host Dom Giordano. “We probably are better off leaving science to the scientists, and focusing on what we’re really good at, which is theology and morality.” 

“When we get involved with controversial and scientific theories, I think the Church is not as forceful and not as credible,” Santorum continued. “I’ve said this to the Catholic bishops many times — when they get involved in agriculture policy, or things like that, that are really outside of the scope of what the Church’s main message is, that we’re better off sticking to the things that are really the core teachings of the Church as opposed to getting involved in every other kind of issue that happens to be popular at the time.”

First off when the Catholic church "has gotten it wrong a few times on science," THAT was when they were arguing against the science that was challenging what they saw as Biblical truths.

In this case Pope Francis is saying that the science is correct, and suggesting that Catholics dismiss the fact that it might question assertions made in the Bible.

Santorum, in response, is arguing the science denying religious side, which makes HIM, not the Pope, the one getting it wrong on science.

Furthermore Pope Francis has a master's degree in chemistry, while Santorum has a bachelor of arts degree in political science. So if I had to choose whose opinion to take seriously in this debate, that's a no brainer.

So this brings up an interesting conundrum for Catholic fundamentalists. When the head of your religion starts adopting points of view that are directly opposed to your deeply ingrained prejudices, what do you do in response?

Well if you are Rick Santorum you publicly call out the infallible Pope as being wrong, and suffer the humiliation that follows.