by Tom Gallagher
WARNING: The following blog posting includes quotes from two members of the episcopacy speaking well, in fact, glowingly, of a liberal Democrat politician (albeit a deceased one). Given the pattern of deep and longing intimacy between so many U.S. bishops and so many right-wing Republican politicians, the following quotes may cause scandal among believers. If you are currently taking heart medication for chest pains, please do not read the following posting. Please consult the U.S. Bishops "Family Guide for Using Media" prior to reading this blog post.
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According to a statement released by Bishop Hubbard:
"Governor Hugh L. Carey was a superb public servant whose commitment to our nation and state was extraordinary. He demonstrated great vision and courage in confronting the fiscal crisis in New York City in a bipartisan fashion, while at the same time protecting the needs of the most vulnerable in our Empire State: the poor, children, the mentally ill and the elderly.
"The Governor was a role model of faith, integrity and civility in a society where such is needed today so desperately."
Cardinal Edward Egan, retired archbishop of New York, had this to say:
"As governor, he faced a state and a city that were in the words of his friend, Mayor Koch, headed toward the pit of bankruptcy," Cardinal Egan said. "He took the matter in hand," he added, with "skill and unlimited courage."
In his homily, Egan remembered Carey as an "illustrious man" and a "political leader par excellence."
"Let us praise a splendid political leader who exercised his authority with zeal and strength," Egan said. "Because of his extraordinary accomplishments in the area of fiscal responsibility, not enough attention is given to what Gov. Hugh Carey accomplished as a prophet for our time who spoke and lived the truth with wisdom and strength."
From ABC-7 in New York, you can find a summary of today's funeral Mass.
