Santorum: Winning Puerto Rico primary would be an 'act of God'

Former Pennsylvania Gov. Rick Santorum said Wednesday that it winning the Puerto Rico primary on Sunday, where 20 delegates are at stake, would be an act of divine intervention.

At a church in San Juan, the devout Catholic encouraged his supporters to “continue to pray, not just for me, not just for my family, although I want to encourage you to continue to pray for me and my family.”

“One of my opponents recently said that it would take an act of God for me to win this primary. I agree with him,” Santorum added.

After the Super Tuesday primaries earlier this month, Mitt Romney said it would take an "act of God" for any candidate but himself to win the Republican nomination.

"We will get to 1,144 [delegates] whether it's on someone else’s timeline, or on our timeline," one of his top aides said. "We will get to 1,144 and be the Republican nominee."

Romney has picked up 498 delegates so far.

But Santorum has recently gained momentum, winning primaries in the key southern states Alabama and Mississippi. He currently has 239 delegates.

[Ed note: This article was edited after publication]