I think any Catholic who was asked publicly whether he believed in transubstiation would have to answer yes or claim that he was no longer a Catholic. Otherwise he would be disowned by the church and most other Catholics. This is abelief that has been around for most of the last 2000 years and is held by hundreds of millions of people around the world, so it is not so unusual as to be considered dangerously crazy. It is much older than protestantism. It seems weird, even crazy, to non believers, (confirming my earlier statements), and even the RC church considers it a miracle. However, it can hardly be said to be a dangerous belief for a President.

I think the Catholic could admit to it without suffering political harm. JFK certainly would have. I also think Romney should simply admit to the core beliefs of Mormonism. That is what he is. Take it or leave it. He would probably be accepted by the majority, even if he endorsed each one of the core set of Mormon beliefs. At most you could say he is vulnerable to being conned by false prophets, which is not very Presidential. Sarah Palin’s apolyptic beliefs are far more dangerous but she almosat got away with them, until she was brought down by her other manifest inadequacies which made here religious beliefs seem trivial.