Cardinal O'Connor, Archbishop of New York - New York Post, January 11, 1993
Oh, well, how "neoconservative Catholics" change their minds with the winds of every social upheaval! Once, Cardinal O'Connor was a hero for them. Now, what he defended (the unchanging and unchangeable doctrine of the Church on family, natural law, marriage, and true Catholic presence in the public square) is dismissed as "pharisaism". Remember that the Church had to wage a court battle against political power in New York City merely to defend that position 21 years ago -- in Boston, that battle reached up to the Supreme Court, which unanimously ruled in favor of the right of a parade-organizing group with a Catholic identity to protect its Catholic message. Now, capitulation to the new prevailing mores, without even a court fight, is instead considered what "Jesus" would do -- when the real Jesus, as Saint John the Baptist, stood firm for Truth, even unto death, "and death on a Cross."
In his firm stand in this matter, Cardinal O'Connor was instead under the influence of what might be called "The Jesus Christ Effect" - the one that doesn't change with every interview. Some call it "Integrity".
[Note: Thanks to reader C for sending us this image of this front page, which was not available online before this post.]
