Cardinal Keith O’Brien also warned that society has become “amoral” because those in power refuse to tell the public how to behave. But he claimed that people are “crying out” for advice from leaders guided by a “moral compass”, as Gordon Brown has claimed to be.
In a homily delivered at St Mary’s Cathedral in Edinburgh , Cardinal O’Brien, the Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh, said: “Just seven weeks ago on Easter Sunday I also preached in our Cathedral and suggested that society was losing the ability to set moral standards and was suffering as a result.
“When young people drink too much – they try to restrict sales of alcohol; When obesity levels rise dangerously – they urge the food industry to use less fat; And when promiscuity leads to an explosion in sexually transmitted infections – they dramatically increase funding for testing and treatment.
“Sadly it never seems to occur to our politicians that they might rather encourage restraint and self-control.
“In other words I suggest that in society of today we do not hear our political representatives moralise. And when I preached that sermon, none of my criticisms were countered or refuted. I was left reinforced in my belief that in failing to moralise, in failing to set objective standards of behaviour for a generation, we have created a largely amoral society.”
He said “love of money” was one of the main problems, pointing out how bankers and those in charge of pension funds have left ordinary people “shattered” during the recession.
The cardinal went on: “Many other people have been equally shattered at what we might call the 'fall from grace’ of many called to serve in politics and public life, with money at the root of many difficulties.
“On behalf of very many suffering and bewildered people, I call on those in public service of whatever kind who have failed us to reclaim the high standards which we expect of them and to give the example required of them to all in our country, however difficult it might be to implement this.
“In answer to the evils, to the aberrations in our society with regard to both money and murder, I would suggest firstly that we move from being a largely amoral society to being once more a moral society.
“I see so many people in our society now crying out for the guidance, the guidance which can only come from having a moral compass. I urge those in positions of responsibility in our country and in our Governments in Scotland, Westminster and Europe to act and to lead us on the way ahead before it is too late.”
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Disclaimer
No responsibility or liability shall attach itself to us or to the blogspot ‘Clerical Whispers’ for any or all of the articles placed here.
The placing of an article hereupon does not necessarily imply that we agree or accept the contents of the article as being necessarily factual in theology, dogma or otherwise.
Source (TTUK)
SV (ED)