Santorum Effusively Praises the Pope After Criticizing Him on Climate Change

Rick Santorum criticized Pope Francis last week for speaking out on the issue of climate change. Santorum said that His Holiness should “leave science to the scientists” because “the church has gotten it wrong a few times on science.”

Chris Wallace turned the tables on Santorum yesterday, but before that interview, TMZ caught up with Santorum ti ask him about the pontiff.

And, just days after criticizing Pope Francis, Santorum had nothing but praise for him. “The pope’s awesome,” he said, “he’s one of the great leaders of our time. He’s someone I’m really excited to meet.”

The pope will be coming to the U.S. later this year, and Santorum’s very encouraged by what he’ll say about families. When asked if he still thinks the pope is off the mark on climate change, Santorum said, “I think he’s hitting the mark with what he’s coming to the United States to talk about, which is family.”

Watch the video below, via TMZ:

[image via screengrab]

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Follow Josh Feldman on Twitter: @feldmaniac

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