It is a pity that John Cardinal O’Connor involved himself in the dispute over rent control in New York City. When a man of God draws explicit attention to the auspices under which he speaks (God’s), the listener expects to hear heavy moral pronouncements; and, on Sunday, we did so. The cardinal, speaking a) in St. Patrick’s Cathedral b) on a subject which he had several days before advertised as his agenda, c) proceeded to describe his position using great moral brushstrokes. He spoke of human rights and moral imperatives.
The difficulty here is obvious. If you elevate your view of things high enough to exclude any recognition of distracting particularities, you can talk about anything in the world in the airborne language of human rights and moral requirements. What is your view of an increase in the discount rate, Your Eminence? What is your view on aid to Chechnya? On Star Wars?
Comments