Fox Host Hits Santorum On Pope And Climate Change: You’re Not A Scientist (VIDEO)

Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

Fox News anchor Chris Wallace turned up the heat on former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA) on Sunday, asking the presidential candidate about his recent remarks that Pope Francis shouldn’t comment on climate change and “leave science to the scientists.”

“If he’s not a scientist — and, in fact, he does have a degree in chemistry — neither are you,” Wallace said, adding that 80-90 percent of scientists agree that humans contribute to climate change.

The pope is expected to release a strong statement on climate change in an encyclical by June 18.

“If he shouldn’t talk about it, should you?” Wallace asked.

“We have to make public policy with regard to the environmental policy,” Santorum, a devout Catholic, said. “Whether we like it or not, people in government have to make decisions with respect to our public policy that affect American workers.”

“The pope can talk about whatever he wants to talk about — I’m saying, what should the pope use his moral authority for?” he asked.

“He would say he’s protecting the Earth,” Wallace interjected.

“There are more pressing problems confronting the earth than climate change,” Santorum said.

Watch the clip around the 7:20 mark:

Latest Livewire

Notable Replies

  1. ¨“We have to make public policy with regard to the environmental policy,” Santorum, a devout Catholic¨ (emphasis added).

    Ain’t a Catho, but if I were, I’d kinda resent ¨devout¨ being used as a euphemism for ¨cypto-fascist¨.

    And: ¨“There are more pressing problems confronting the earth than climate change," Santorum said.¨

    Why doesn’t he save us all some time and just show us the list of issues that Foster Friess has this cycle: that’s where his devotion lies.

  2. “He would say he’s protecting the Earth,” Wallace interjected.

    “There are more pressing problems confronting the earth than climate change," Santorum said.

    I see. So, Santorum, a devout Catholic, is now going to tell the Pope what is the most important issue for His Holiness to focus upon. Might it be abortion? Gay marriage? Tax cuts for the wealthy?

  3. “There are more pressing problems confronting the earth than climate change," Santorum said.

    Yep, abortion.

  4. “There are more pressing problems confronting the earth than climate change," Santorum said, “like making sure Americans are denied access to health care and forcing women who want abortions to get trans-vaginal ultrasounds…”

  5. Avatar for zoran zoran says:

    Yep. The more pressing problems for Santorum are crawling up women’s
    uteruses, keeping the teh gays down and ignoring the poors.

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

79 more replies

Participants

Avatar for frustum Avatar for slbinva Avatar for pearlywhite Avatar for leftflank Avatar for trnc Avatar for zoran Avatar for thx1138 Avatar for steviedee111 Avatar for Lacuna-Synecdoche Avatar for carlosfiance Avatar for tamdai Avatar for bonvivant Avatar for gr Avatar for astralfire Avatar for maxaroo Avatar for phlebas Avatar for canadian Avatar for darrtown Avatar for benthere Avatar for cincypix Avatar for gailefranz Avatar for tstreet Avatar for thunderclapnewman Avatar for vjbinct

Continue Discussion
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Deputy Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: