Is Tim Kaine Religious? Hillary Clinton's Vice Presidential Pick Is Open About His Faith

It is time for registered voters across the United States to personally get to know Tim Kaine — Hillary Clinton's newly announced running mate. I'm not talking about knowing his favorite foods or whats iPod — I'm talking about some basic facts. Things like does Tim Kaine have kids? And maybe, most importantly to religious voters, is Tim Kaine religious?

Hillary Clinton's pick for Vice President is very open about practicing his faith and isn't ashamed to admit it. The Virginia Senator is a practicing Roman Catholic — which you'll probably hear more about on the campaign trail. According to the Washington Post, Kaine is a regular attendee of a "black church" in Richmond, Virginia where he is very much at home — Kaine and his wife married at the church and all three of his children have been baptized there. According to the story, Kaine often takes breaks from politics at church but is also open about talking how "Catholicism informs his views."

According to the story, Kaine's Catholicism can be traced back to his childhood where he attended a Jesuit boarding school and frequently attended mass. The Washington Post story gives an amazing view into Kaine's influence on religion in his life and is practically written with the vice presidency in mind — despite being published in 2012.

A year into law school, Kaine went on a mission trip to Honduras, which according to his mother "made him into who he is." This strong, constant presence of the church in his life seems to ground and center Kaine. Telling the Washington Post, "to be a politician, you have to have strong morals."

"I do what I do for spiritual reasons," Kaine told C-SPAN in June.

It seems as if there is no denying that Kaine has strong moral background and is rooted in his religious beliefs and his belief to make a change. Kaine is so religious, in fact, that he has cited the Pope during a discussion about allowing Planned Parenthood to access funding for Zika. That is, perhaps, one of the best reasons for any politician to cite the Pope.

Despite such religious roots, Kaine makes sure that his religion doesn't fully influence all of his political decisions — as Kaine believes that the state "should not impose a moral view on others," according to the Daily Beast. Saying in 2008:

I take an oath to uphold the laws of the commonwealth. My church doesn't make me cross my fingers when I do.

Kaine's strong religious background yet progressive political beliefs and platform makes him a very strong pick for Vice President. It will be very interesting to hear Kaine speak more about his religious influences on the campaign trail and at the Democratic National Convention next week.