Debate prep: Tim Kaine's ‘tricky dance’ of being a Catholic Democrat | McClatchy Washington Bureau

Tim Kaine personally opposes the death penalty, the moral stand of a staunch Roman Catholic who regularly attends Mass and whose church believes executions to be wrong.

Yet as governor of Virginia, the Democratic vice presidential nominee allowed the execution of 11 men.

The death penalty is part of a political tightrope Kaine has walked for almost two decades, trying to balance his Catholic faith with policy positions that are at odds with the church’s teachings. He also personally opposes abortion, for example, but supports the right of women to choose to have one.

That intersection – or collision – between faith and politics could be a significant part of Tuesday’s vice presidential debate between Kaine and Republican Mike Pence, a devout evangelical Christian and former Catholic whose faith also has defined major points of his career.

And as Kaine’s record shows, some of those collisions could make for tricky politics in the debate. (Pence’s faith and career will be covered in a separate article.)

The biggest flashpoint is abortion.

Like many religious Democrats, Kaine acknowledges his personal opposition but says the state should not restrict a woman’s right to choose.

That’s not enough for some Catholics.

“Kaine has found a way to finesse the tricky dance of being a Catholic in politics today in the Democratic Party,” said Brian Burch of Catholic Vote, a conservative group that is not officially associated with the church.

“When you peel back the curtain you see nothing more than a power-seeking Democratic politician that is willing to sacrifice his own faith and his own personal beliefs for power and prestige.”

The voting record of Kaine, a senator since 2013, has been perfectly in step with Planned Parenthood and NARAL Pro-Choice America, two groups that advocate for expanded abortion protections.

“He’s completely out of step with the Catholic Church,” said Ashley McGuire of The Catholic Association, a group that opposes abortion.

Catholic Democrats in the Senate like Kaine outnumber Catholic Republicans by 16-11. Vice President Joe Biden also is Catholic.

Like most liberal Catholics, Kaine most closely follows the church on issues such as help for the poor and support for immigrants.

“He has decided that the political arena is a way of actually forging your values into a kind of activism, social activism that can make a difference,” said Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., a fellow Catholic and friend.

They claim freedom to ignore the church on public issues such as abortion or gay marriage.

“It’s the Kennedy defense,” Connolly said of Democrats who are devout Catholics. “I’m not running as a Catholic politician; I’m running as a Catholic who is a politician.”

Connolly, who attended Catholic seminary for six years and frequently talks with Kaine about their faith, recalled a visit to the Virginia governor’s mansion when Kaine served as the state’s chief executive.

He noticed a book by German anti-Nazi dissident and pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer on Kaine’s nightstand. Connolly said Bonhoeffer mirrored Kaine’s religious philosophy because he was a “theologian and also a man of action.”

“The social justice doctrine of the Catholic Church is a really integral part of our lives, trying to help people who are less fortunate,” Connolly said. “Try to leave the world a better place than you found it.”

If the social justice part is easy, Kaine has walked the tightrope on other issues.

Before entering politics, he defended death row inmates as a civil rights lawyer. But when his Republican opponent for governor attacked him for his defense of death row inmates, Kaine countered that he would support state law despite his personal and religious objections.

“I really struggled with that as governor. I have a moral position against the death penalty,” Kaine said in 2012. “But I took an oath of office to uphold it. Following an oath of office is also a moral obligation.”

Other Catholic governors found ways to rein in executions while in office. Maryland Democrat Martin O’Malley upheld a moratorium on executions in 2007, a year after Kaine took office.

Kaine, who as an attorney once struck white jurors from a trial because of their race, to ensure a better defense for his black client, allowed 11 executions during his four years in office – six of them black men.

Virginia ranks third in the country for number of executions since 1976.

Connolly acknowledges the challenges of mixing religious beliefs with politics. But he said Catholic Republicans had their own moral inconsistencies when it came to certain policy issues, notably curtailing immigration and budget cuts to social programs that helped the poor.

“We can’t allow ourselves to be politically blinded by one dominant value,” Connolly said. “There’s a multiplicity of values that need to be addressed.”

He said Pope Francis had “thrown the doors wide open” to allow Catholic politicians such as Kaine to choose their own approaches to complicated policy issues.

Conservative Catholics largely agree with that sentiment, except on the issue of abortion.

“The example of the way he (Kaine) behaved as governor and the way he supports abortion are examples of political cowardice,” Burch said, adding that Catholic politicians need to show “respect for all persons regardless of stage of development or age.”

Conservative Catholic organizations have less of an issue with the death penalty, which goes against Catholic teaching but is supported by Republican nominee Donald Trump. Burch’s group initially opposed Trump during the primaries and has not formally endorsed him.

“On the scale of the issue there is no comparison,” Burch said. “We’re talking about tens of millions of children versus a tiny number of difficult cases.”

Kaine has never lost an election in his political career but he faces national scrutiny after Hillary Clinton chose him as her vice presidential pick.

“He’s a helluva nice guy,” said Virginia state senator and lieutenant governor candidate Bryce Reeves, a Spotsylvania Republican. “Tim Kaine, until recently, has not been a grenade thrower. He’s not the guy who’s going to poke you in the eye. He’s going to do what he’s going to do.”