Catholic priest gives controversial statements on topic of presidential religion

Father Jonathan Morris didn't point blank say "atheists were not suitable candidates for president" as he has been accused of, according to The Blaze.

span style="line-height: 15.8599996566772px;">MUNTINLUPA, PHILIPPINES (Catholic Online) - The allegations toward the Catholic priest and cultural commentator derived from his statements, during his appearance on the "Fox and Friends" last Sunday, about the speeches given by GOP presidential candidates. The speeches were delivered during the Faith & Freedom Coalition held in Iowa.

"If it doesn't inform your life then it's not faith, because faith is a set of beliefs. It's a belief in God, it's a belief that there are eternal consequences for your actions. And I think a leader that doesn't have a set of core beliefs that help him to make justice an important part of his life and his decisions - because he knows that there are eternal consequences - well it's... hard to trust," said Fr. Morris.

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He said the leader's wisdom is more important than faith but it would build a difference to have such, pointing out the necessity of the leader's core values. Unfortunately, this was misinterpreted by some listeners, accusing the priest of saying that atheists aren't fit to run for presidency.

Some critics left comments charging the Catholic Church of being based on fear and ignorance, that its members are easily manipulated by.

With Fr. Morris saying that one cannot fake religion and that anyone shall not make up stuff just to get votes, one comment stated, "That's plain old bigotry, and unlike religion, you really can't fake that."

According to the 2012 Gallup poll, 54 percent of Americans may vote for an atheist while 43 percent would not. The country has not yet elected an openly atheist leader.