O Connor is portrayed as moral and political leader whose stature remains undiminished in the words of today s New York Times , but there is the tarnish of his ready, fire, aim confrontational style with the secular world and his authoritarian agenda. It is good that Archbishops, Cardinals and Popes are shown as the flawed human beings they are, not just alleged conduits to the will of an Almighty. The Powerhouse remains, perhaps not the force majeur it once was, but still sufficiently potent to elicit the respect of political elites. The Republican House of Representatives, gazing into the political tea leaves last February, saw the wisdom of presenting O Connor with its highest honor, the Congressional Gold Medal. House Speaker Dennis Hastert followed up, after an imbroglio over his original choice of a Protestant for the post of congressional chaplain, by breaking with tradition and named a Roman Catholic priest.
Politicians speak of the Catholic vote as the deciding swing factor in the year election.
There has indeed been change, especially since the church s halcyon days when Cardinal Spellman had a direct line to the White House, and President Kennedy had to explicitly defend his ideas about the separation of church and state. It cannot be taken for granted, though. We bury Cardinal John O Connor, but not the ideas he defended. They await the attentions of the next man in New York that ecclesiastical leaders in Rome will send our way.