Bishop urges questions in face of economic crisis
The Archbishop of Liverpool has urged people to ask questions and scrutinize decisions they make and those being made on their behalf, as communities all over the world face up to the global financial crisis.
Speaking at the Annual Civic Mass in the city at the weekend, Archbishop Patrick Kelly questioned the plans for so-called 'quantitative easing' of
the situation, which he took along with Economist Weekly - to mean printing more money.
Describing such plans as 'a new sleight of hand', he also chided the government for what it called its attempts to spread risk, which it admitted had also spread contagion.
"Spreading risk does not transmogrify risk into assets: you can bundle up debts and give them new names: but debt is debt, it remains a negative,"
he added.
In a homily that seemed to intimate uncertainty as to how the current economic meltdown is going to pan out, the Archbishop also quoted from the
once popular children's television programme 'Magic Roundabout'.
"There was a lesson we all should have learnt from the programme: be curious; ask questions; consult the wise Florence if there is anything new in the garden.
"At this time we need the straight talking, the honesty, the integrity," he concluded.
first posted 24 February 2009