I think that most americans believe that because a politician addresses himself or herself as catholic that means that he or she truly believes and defends catholic doctrine. Catholic doctrine (and all christian doctrines for that matter) DOES NOT believe that racism is okay -even if people thinks they do- as their belief is against abortion, stem-cell investigation, human cloning, euthanasia, giving rights to animals (yes, true catholic and christian doctrine are also against that), the practice of the homosexuality (not LGTB people -that not the same concept-), and other controversial issues. By the way, correctly apllyied science also are against most of their issues, so it´s matter of common sense, not only religion. If someone says he is christian and he is racist, he does not follow christian doctrine in that matter, because the teaching is not to be racist. The same with catholic doctrine. Simple.