Romney Talks Faith in Contentious Interview: 'I'm Not a Spokesman for My Church

In an interview with CNN's Piers Morgan, Mitt Romney discussed his take on gay rights. The former Massachusetts governor explained that while he opposes same-sex marriage, he has a record of supporting equal rights for homosexuals. When pressed by Morgan to explain which rights he backs, Romney covered his support for equality in employment and discussed his own record of having nominated homosexuals during his governorship.

Morgan asked, "Does your faith mean that you view homosexuality as a sin?" Romney's response was as follows: "I separate quite distinctly matters of personal faith from the leadership that one has in a political sense." Morgan, in skepticism and surprise, jabbed, "Can you do that? Seriously?" Romney inevitably tells Morgan that he's "...not a spokesman for [his] church."

In other Romney news, a Washington Post/ABC poll released earlier today found that the former governor would tie President Obama if an election were held today. And among registered voters, Romney would actually have a narrow lead over the president, as he would capture 49 percent of registered voters, with 46 percent of them supporting Obama.

You can watch Romney's contentious discussion with Piers Morgan below: