Willard "Mitt" Romney, you're no Jack Kennedy.

"No candidate should become the spokesman for his faith. For if he becomes president, he will need the prayers of the people of all faiths."

In 2006, then-Governor Romney showed why we need to pray for his soul, when Catholic Charities bristled at the legal requirement to give equal treatment to gay couples seeking to adopt:

Romney met in his office Wednesday with church leaders, including Boston Archbishop Sean O'Malley, and said religious institutions should be able to help people without violating their faith.

"Ultimately, legislation may need to be filed to provide an exemption based on religious principles," Romney said in a statement released after the meeting.

This is a prospective President of the United States advocating the denial of civil rights, based on religious reasons.

In a separate briefing, he told a group of Jihadists that they can file for an exemption from anti-terrorism laws, as long as their attacks are religiously motivated.

Maybe not, but there was a happy ending to the adoption story, as Catholic Charities shut down the 100-year-old adoption agency, which had found homes for thousands of orphans, rather than commit the cardinal sins of compassion, fairness, and equality.

Who would Jesus and Joseph Smith abandon? Children and gays, apparently. And who wouldn't pray for that?

Update:

Romney's speech plays it both ways. He's for separation of church and state, so long as it means he isn't dinged for believing in an off-beat religion. But outside of that, not so much:

"Our greatness would not long endure without judges who respect the foundation of faith upon which our Constitution rests," said Romney, who favors overturning the Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion.