Dear Editor
I could not resist clapping at Mass this morning when a letter from Cardinal Dew was read out, advising congregants of the resignation of Charlie Farlie [Ed. Charles Drennan]
Back in March 2015, just a few days after Charles Drennan took over from Protestant Pete as bishop of P. Nth (Yes, dramatic licence there – it was actually more than a few days), Charlie Farlie (That’s derived from far left Charles) raced up to Auckland to prominently participate in a political protest against the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement.
He and his fellow protesters wanted nothing to do with the T.P.P.A. and demanded that our Government (John Key) not sign on to it. But, when President Trump withdrew the U.S.A. from the T.P.P.A. within moments of taking office (Dramatic licence again there), we heard no words of thanks or congratulations or approval for President Trump from Charlie Farlie and his political mates. Surprise! Surprise!
And just this morning I came across the text of Charlie Farlie’s sermon on Christmas Day last.
Homily preached at Christmas Midnight Mass, 2018, by Bishop Drennan
Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, Palmerston North
There are many kinds of human temptation. One of the most curious of these is checking out – almost compulsively – just how ghastly something is. I confess that this past week I’ve been cranking up my computer early in the morning just to read the latest ghastly pathologically narcissistic tweet, or worse still, decision or decree, of President Trump. Confession over.
That is just his opening gambit, of course. The rest goes on to condemn “corruption”, “prejudice”, “trivialisation of human dignity”, all without blushing at the irony of his words.
In his protest against the T.P.P.A. Charlie proclaimed that global interests have no right to usurp the duty of an elected Government to govern in accordance with the wishes of its citizens. Have we noticed Charlie protesting with similar vigour against the recent imposition of the U.N. Global Migration Pact?
No? Oh dear! Hypocrisy by any other name would still stink as much (Apologies to Bill S.).
God bless,
Leo
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