Tuesday, May 25, 2004

National Council of Churches kisses up to Kofi Annan

A group of National Council of Churches delegates met with UN General Secretary Kofi Annan yesterday "about the role of the U.N. in the transition of control in Iraq from military to civilian leadership."

No indication that they asked him about the money he and his son collected from Saddam's Oil for Kofi program. Instead, their spokesman told reporters, "One of the key messages we conveyed was our support for the secretary general's leadership and the critical moment for his exercising strong leadership in the world today. We expressed our confidence in his leadership."

Attending the gathering (aside from denominations I'm not following) were Bishop Vicken Aykazian, ecumenical officer, Armenian Orthodox Church Diocese of America, Washington, D.C., and Fr. Leonid Kishkovsky, ecumenical officer, Orthodox Church in America, Syosset, N.Y. I've met Fr. Kishkovsky and respect him. I think he's trying to maintain ties of communication with the other Christian and formerly Christian bodies in the National Council of Churches. It's not an easy job, and I don't envy him.

I hope for his sake, though, it was uncomfortable to be part of such a slavering, lickspittle statement about a man who is probably among the least qualified to administrate anything and whose leadership has been an embarrassment to the United Nations and the idea of "peace" among humankind.

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