'Faith Czar' attacks church-state separation in Vatican speech.

James Towey, director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, traveled to the Vatican in January where he unleashed a stinging attack on defenders of the separation of church and state.

Towey blasted critics of his boss, President George W. Bush, who have scored the White House for its reliance on religious rhetoric and faith-based initiatives. Slamming the "ruthless secularization" of public life, Towey asserted that church-state separation too often robs social programs of their "spiritual dimension." He also said Bush critics have falsely accused the president of behaving as "chaplain-in-chief."

Religion News Service reported that Towey went on to add that social programs aimed at drug addicts and others often fail unless they have a religious component. "The struggle of these individuals was not just a social problem but at its core a spiritual problem," he said.

Ironically, Towey was at the Vatican to mark the 40th anniversary of the Catholic Church's adoption of "Dignitas Humanae," a ground-breaking statement that endorses religious liberty and the validity of separation of church and state.

Towey's views also put him at odds with Pope Benedict XVI. In December, the pope issued a mildly pro-separation statement while accepting the credentials of the new French ambassador to the Vatican. Benedict made reference to the 100th anniversary of the adoption of France's church-state separation provisions in 2005.

"As my predecessor John Paul II recalled in a letter addressed to French bishops, the principle of the secular state lies in a healthy distinction of powers," Benedict said. "It is by no means antagonistic and does not exclude the Church's ever more active participation in social life."