The Harper government is distancing itself from anti-abortion comments that have caused an uproar in Quebec.

Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Josee Verner calls the remarks unacceptable.

The controversy was triggered when a prominent Quebec City cardinal called abortion a crime in every case - even when a rape victim has been impregnated by her attacker.

The comments from Marc Cardinal Ouellet come as the abortion issue, long dormant in national politics, has begun heating up again.

Ouellet applauded the Harper government for its stance against funding abortions in the developing world; but the minister, Verner, replies that the government isn't looking for endorsements like this.

The Ouellet remark has become one of the top trending topics on the social networking site, Twitter.

In one particularly virulent reaction, a Montreal La Presse columnist expressed his wish that Ouellet would die a slow and painful death.

A spokesman for the Archdiocese of Quebec City says Ouellet was simply stating Church doctrine when a reporter asked him about rape and abortion.