Rick Santorum choked up on “The View” on Wednesday, telling the story of how Pope Francis blessed his 7-year-old daughter Bella, who suffers from a rare genetic disorder.
“It was a great blessing. He held her and he kissed her and blessed her,” said Santorum, who called himself an “evangelical Catholic.” “Bella’s a miracle.”
The presidential candidate’s family met the Pope at his departure ceremony in Philadelphia.
“That was a very special time,” Santorum said on “The View.” “We were blessed, because we didn’t have the front row seats and two people saw our daughter there and gave up their two seats.”
Later Wednesday, Santorum told CNN’s Brooke Baldwin that his family now has pictures and memories of Pope Francis holding and kissing his daughter. “We feel incredibly blessed to have had that opportunity,” he said.
Bella has a disorder called Trisomy 18, a condition that causes severe developmental complications due to an extra chromosome.
The former Pennsylvania senator also discussed the ongoing Planned Parenthood hearings and said although the organization does not use federal funds for abortion, he would like to see it defunded.
“I’m for reallocating every dollar that goes to Planned Parenthood and putting them in women’s health centers that actually provide more comprehensive services than Planned Parenthood does,” said Santorum, who opposes abortion.
“There are much more comprehensive women’s health centers. Women are probably going to get a more holistic health screening at those places than Planned Parenthood.”