CHURCH OF NICE, STATE OF NASTY

They tell me that the other day at Mass in the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, Palmerston North, the congregation were virtually instructed to vote Labour tomorrow (or maybe today, given our new voting arrangements).

There's a line in the biography of Dietrich von Hildebrand which haunts me. One of the greatest Catholics of the 20th century, the philosopher von Hildebrand's discernment and courage in denouncing National Socialism meant he was listed as No 1 enemy of the Nazis, while the German bishops kept their heads down.

His bio was written by his wife Alice, also a highly respected Catholic thinker, who in the words of Cardinal Ratzinger has "done a great service in giving us this fascinating portrait", and the line which resonates with me is, "Woe to the religious leader who does not warn his flock that the wolf is at the door!"

The wolf is of course Labour's leader Jacinda Ardern, whose evil agenda of 'decriminalising' abortion and legalizing euthanasia merits her the title of New Zealand's own Hillary Clinton. But during the US election campaign another priest told me he couldn't or wouldn't pray for victory for Donald Trump - which means he must have preferred the alternative option of Clinton, presumably because he had no idea what she was on about. As the priest at the cathedral can have no idea that electing Jacinda would mean death for our most vulnerable citizens, either.

The Catholic Church in New Zealand in this century, like the German bishops in the 1930s, has opted for the quiet life. It qualifies for the title awarded to the modern Church in the US by Michael Voris.

Voris, a fervent Catholic, says what US Catholics have now is "The Church of Nice".

In New Zealand during this election campaign our own Church of Nice has done its best - in a nice way - to usher in the State of Nasty.