The Conflicted Catholicism of Tim Kaine

Kaine has been known to push back against some official Catholic teachings, leading critics to call him a hypocrite. In recent years, he has been a vocal supporter of women’s ordination and gay marriage, advocating for change in the Catholic Church. Kaine’s suggestion that the church might someday recognize same-sex marriage led his bishop to issue a clarifying statement that the church’s “2000-year-old teaching [about] marriage remains unchanged and resolute.” Another bishop questioned Kaine’s Catholicism in a Facebook post over the politician’s support for abortion rights. Kaine says he personally opposes abortion and the death penalty, but he presided over 11 executions while serving as governor of Virginia and has a 100 percent pro-choice voting record for his time in the Senate from both NARAL and Planned Parenthood.