CD: So when you talk about Romney’s faith do you mean his faith as a Mormon or his sort of faith in humanity?
MELADY: Well I think in a broader sense. As I look at some of the things that I’m active in in Washington — the National Conference of Christians and Jews, as well as a dialogue project with Muslims and Hindus — I can see the factor of faith and a commitment to basic values. And of course one of the basic values is the family.
CD: And what do you see as Governor Romney’s role in supporting those family values?MELADY: If he emerges as a candidate and wins, he’ll have a very major role to play. The right candidate can set the standards for us when it comes to the family, and then broad community issues. It begins with the family and then it’s the community and responsibility in the community. I see a tremendous talent and enthusiasm and energy that also is matched by other members of [Romney’s] family. We elect a president, we don’t elect the family, but it can be important.
CD: What other aspects of Governor Romney’s platform do you feel are supportive of the family, besides health insurance?MELADY: I felt very at home with what I read [in Romney’s mailings] with regard to facilitating for adoptions. I’ve helped people adopt and the laws vary, and some states are probably better on the issue than others. But I also think related to the family, of course, is providing job opportunities. His own sons have an enthusiasm for getting out there and working, and I think that contributes to the whole atmosphere of it.
CD: Romney has been somewhat hesitant to speak about his own personal faith and family life to the media, especially on the topic of the Mormon church. Do you think it’s necessary for him to open up about this topic, if he’s looking to gain the nomination from his party?MELADY: I haven’t discussed this with him; it’s a quasi-personal matter. I know he’s been asked something about whether his church presents a problem. I think some people will say you don’t have any privacy left when you become a candidate for president, and that may be true, and I have a feeling that [Romney] is going to speak on [his faith]. I have a very good friend who’s a democrat who played a major role in organizing the speech of then Senator [John F.] Kennedy to the Southern Baptist leaders down in Texas.
CD: Right, in 1960.MELADY: Yes, and that was a particular set of circumstances, but underlying it was doubt and suspicions that people had about his religion, and whether he’d be taking orders from a foreign power. And whoever wrote the speech focused right on the answer to that question, and obviously it was quite successful.
CD: Do you think that Americans hold a similar skepticism of Romney’s beliefs?MELADY: I only can speak for the Catholic community, and I’ve talked to people on this issue. I’d assume there certainly are some individuals who don’t like him for some reason or another, but in the Catholic community that [skepticism] may not be the case. I think [Romney] is going to speak on [his faith], but it’s a different kind of thing so it’s got to be well-researched. I’ve had one or two conversations with him, but not on that issue.
[Kennedy’s 1960 speech] was written after some real research, knowing just what the ministers are concerned about. I reread the speech and a key sentence was, “I am not the Catholic candidate for President [but the candidate] who happens also to be a Catholic.” There were probably about two or three key paragraphs in the speech that resulted from good research about what the concerns were. In this case here, I can’t say I’m an expert. There are some concerns being reported in certain Christian circles, not Catholic, but after research I think he can answer them. I think we all recognize that when someone has a faith and a commitment, it represents the best in our values.
CD: You mention concerns that other Christians might have about Romney’s Mormon faith, do you know what those specific concerns are?MELADY: Their question is: “Is the Mormon faith, within the broad scope, a Christian religion?” My degrees were in political science and economics, not in the Bible or theology, but I would say a broader term I would use would be they are believers.
