Romney begs to differ with Santorum remark
Governor Mitt Romney said yesterday that US Senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania was misinformed for linking Boston's ''liberalism" with the sex abuse scandal in the Catholic Church. But he stopped well short of demanding that his fellow Republican apologize.
Weighing in to the ongoing controversy over Santorum's comments, Romney said that ''people are entitled to their own viewpoints," but that his staff has ''indicated what our feelings are" to Santorum's aides. Romney press secretary Julie Teer later declined to say who contacted Santorum's office, but that Romney's staff sought to clarify the senator's comments.
''I'm not going to suggest -- well, let me say I am going to suggest that he's wrong on the conclusion he's reached," Romney said when asked about the uproar at an unrelated press conference. ''And hopefully upon further examination, he will realize it's not a Boston issue. It's a national issue, it's a world issue, and the sex abuse scandal in the Catholic Church is not a Massachusetts- or Boston-centered problem."
Yesterday, Democrats said Romney wasn't being strong enough in his criticism for fear of alienating conservative voters, and some business leaders criticized Santorum.
''Governor Romney seems intent on scoring political points with the same people that Rick Santorum appeals to, and that is the most extreme fringe of the Republican party," said Representative Martin T. Meehan, Democrat of Lowell. ''The governor ought to have enough self-esteem to stand up for our state."
Other prominent Boston figures also weighed in. Paul Guzzi, president of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, said he agrees with the characterization of Santorum as misinformed.
''The senator's remarks are amazingly insensitive and aren't reflective of a serious issue," Guzzi said. ''It doesn't do justice to anybody to politicize this issue."
The chiefs of Partners HealthCare, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and Massachusetts General Hospital also expressed dismay at Santorum's remarks.
''We are proud that Boston is a world leader in medical care, medical research, and medical education that benefits people in all 50 states and around the world," said Dr. James J. Mongan of Partners, Dr. Gary Gottlieb of Brigham and Women's, and Dr. Peter Slavin of MGH. ''We invite Senator Santorum to visit any of our hospitals to see the important work Bostonians are doing."
Santorum's remarks about Boston, first published in a July 2002 column for the website Catholic Online, touched off a round of condemnation this week, and prompted US Senator Edward M. Kennedy to criticize his colleague on the Senate floor Wednesday.
''Priests, like all of us, are affected by culture. When the culture is sick, every element in it becomes infected," Santorum wrote on the website. ''While it is no excuse for this scandal, it is no surprise that Boston, a seat of academic, political, and cultural liberalism in America, lies at the center of the storm."
Santorum's spokesman did not return a telephone call yesterday. In an earlier Globe interview, Santorum did not back down from his comments. And in remarks to religion reporters yesterday, he lashed out at Kennedy and Senator John F. Kerry, both Democrats, for criticizing him.
''It's sort of sad that they would use religion and this tragic time for purely partisan, blatantly political purposes," Santorum said, the Religion News Service reported.
