Capitol Ideas/Hilton Spirituality

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...Father Joseph Fenton, S.M., the Archbishop's public relations man, was standing behind Weakland and from time to time plucking nervously at his garment...

...Of course, in ume the too late...

...On the last evening, in any event, about thirty of the bishops went out for a little celebration...

...Softcover only-S5.50 Prepayment ~s requtred on all orders not for resale We pay book rate postage on prepmd orders Please allow 4 to 6 weeks for dehvery All orders from outside the Umted States must be prepaid tn US dollars To order, or for a copy of our catalogue, write A f t e r the applause died down I approached the podium and soon found myself hemmed in by a tight crush of cameras, microphone booms, and tape recorder-beanng scribes Jerry Fllteau of the National Catholic News Service had the Archbishop's ear and was doing his best to extract from the prelate some rather more leftward-leaning quotes than he had already dehvered "The government ought to do more avmlable m the LtbertyClasstcs softcover version of the Glasgow Edition of the Works and Correspondence of Adam Smith...

...My record has been good on that," said Weakland...

...A woman from Dutch television had her turn next, and she asked whether America really should "go to a more controlled economy," since her country had tried all these episcopal remedies in turn and now had a skyhigh unemployment rate...

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...there were liaisons and renewals, briefings on the mezzanine, breakfast on an individual basis...

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...He advised that there was a Milwaukee TV crew standing by, couldn't be kept waiting much longer e v i d e n t l y . . , so if we didn't mind, His Excellency would be moving on...

...Upstmrs prophecy from the hps of Weakland" A Terrible Indictment did he dehver, while the media contingent sat through it m perfect stillness, imbibing ten thou a year] and mllhons more hover just above it We are appalled-the pens were flying across the page and the cameras were staring sllently-"We are appalled at the sight of extreme poverty elsewhere on this globe The American economic system has done much to create the standard of hvlng so many of us enjoy We can be proud of this acluevement, but we must not become complacent The test of any economic system is how ~t takes care of its poor and what steps it takes to help them be full and contributing members of society" There That would no doubt yield a nice httle ten-second bite for the evenlng news Next there were quesUons from the Working Press in the pews, orchestrated by Wdham Ryan of the U S Cathohc Conference Kenneth Bnggs Ttmes), Marjorle Hyer (New York Times), Russell Chandler (L A (Washington Post), Bruce Buursma (Chicago TPtbune), Jim Frankhn Llbe r tyPress L ertyClass s The Theo~ of Moral SenUments By Adam Smith The Glasgow Edition Edited by A. L Macfie and D D Raphael (Boston Globe), David Anderson (UPI), and many others on hand, but somehow the adversary press had fmled to show th~s afternoon Today ~t was to be the bodyguard press One typical question was How are you going to respond to the inevitable crmclsms of your prophetic letter9 One or two questions came vaguely from the bishops' left "Why did you walt untd after the election, when the abortion Issue was ratsed during the campmgn~" But other than that all quesUons were friendly Peter Behr, economic writer for the Washington Post, set the tone by asking Weakland why (not whether) there ts "more greed" m America today than formerly Hawng swatted away the last softball, Weakland received a round of applause--now apparently routinely delivered up by the press for fellow travelers and ~deologlcal soulmates...

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...all, utterly predictable hostility from the Wall Street Journal and those rightplaces at Tiberio's, one of those fearfully smart and expensive restaurants You can save even more by taking advantage of our Introductory Offer...

...He began to sweat slightly under the lights, but on the whole he did a good job of holding up under the pressure...

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...At the bar, kittens States Now the bishops were beginning for tradmg pnnclple for respectablhty9 to show a desire to play catch-up with A reminder that you were too httle and a me-too coda...

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...obvious--our responsibility to our neighbors--whale prescribing fmled panaceas, to w~t SOClahsm or at least a welfare state w~thout hm~ts Others, such as Yuppms, are absolutely convmced of their own moral superiority over other productive members of the Republic and go on about their business, consuming madly--and at the Washington Square Bar & Grill the Yupples' staple was Cahfornia wine Is this bad ~ I think not As hypocrisies go, the Yuppms are bound to have a more salutary influence than many of the other hypocrites at work m the land In their hankering for consumption they are galvanizing enterprise In their bustle to get ahead they are providing goods and services Moreover, sometimes their mundane appetites mHILTON SPIRITUALITY The U S Cathohc b~shops, by now during the recent antl-Capltahst getfamous for their denuncmtion of together Twigs did a roaring episcopal cap~tahsm, stay at the Capital Hilton trade, apparently Sometimes, it when they come to Washington for seemed, the whole restaurant was full their fall annual meeting It has of black suits and clerical collars become a tradltmn, you might say, for Within the Umted States Catholic all except the progressive Auxiliary Conference the objection has been Bishop Thomas Gumbleton of Detroit, raised that maybe the Hilton is a bit who won't stay at the place And if this worldly, a bit capitalist and maybe the is a portent of things to come, then I bishops should meet m a monastery or should Imagine that within a few years a retreat house But the counterarguthe bishops may very likely be sharing ment has been It is also conveniently lodgings with the street people-- located I mean, a couple of blocks furmshed courtesy of Mltch Snyder from the White House, and a couple and the Community for Creative of blocks from the Washmgton Post ofNon-Vmlence For the moment, however, the bishops unpack their bags at the the other Hdton--pnce range $68 to $140 for One has to consider the media m this single rooms Then they can go day and age They have to be catered downstairs to Twigs, the chic restaurant on the 16th Street side of the building, message to the public ~ And at the with its bamboo basket chatrs, recessed Hilton there are news-center facllmes spot hghts, suspended ferns, and atten- on the mezzanine, telephones aplenty, tive waiters, for a httle pick-me-up reference books and telecop~ers The lump crab and walnut salad, say, or a media will not only be on hand, they glass of Franciscan fume blanc ($16 00 can get pretty impatient at times The a bottle) or amarelle and chocolate Working Press) So, messenger service souffle cheesecake dessert Gumbleton may have withheld his business, but Tom BetheU ts The American Spectator's Washmgton correspondent THE AMERICAN SPECTATOR JANUARY 1985 fices, perfect for blowing a raspberry at one end and accepting a bouquet at to, don't they, ff one is to get one's to Western Umon is available The Weakland press conference, the main event, would be held In the chandelierladen Congressmnal Room Then, later on, the cocktail party for the medm would be given at the deco-decorated crease the amenltmS of Amerman life prodigiously Consider that California wine I have personally reconnoitered no dram on our natural resources at all They demand only sod, sun, hard through the Napa Valley above San Francisco, where some of the very best work, and mgenmty Cahfornla wines are produced The area ~s quite beautiful, putting one m mind of those gentle regmns north of Rome where some of Italy's best wines are produced Two very contemporary currents are encouraging growth m this Cahfornm region Yupples' high-toned tastes and post-1960s entrepreneurship The result ~s the fastest lmprowng wine industry in the world Consider the Joseph Phelps Vineyards Begun only In 1970, they now produce 60,000 cases yearly, all of it comparing favorably with some of France's and Italy's most ancient winegrowing regions or my palate ~s decewmg me The vineyards were begun by Mr Phelps after he had spent years at the head of a successful construction company The endeavor was a gamble A considerable sum was necessary to buy the land and to transform ~t into How those Cathohc b~shops who a prestigious winery Vast knowledge was needed, but the University of Cahforma at Davis has been turning now harangue capltahsm wall take this news ~s as inscrutable to me as their CAPITOL cure-alls for poverty Yet in the Napa Valley jobs are being prowded where once there were few And those jobs are out first-rate students of the grape for years and so the area has its talented oenologlsts All these elements Mr...

...She told a reporter later that she felt "a sense of okayness" with Quinn, who heads the inquiry and is expected to allay Vat- cJ 9 THE AMERICAN SPECTATOR JANUARY 1985 with no menu in the window, with silver wine buckets, with fresh roses on the table, a great glistening gateau display by the door, modern paintings, seemingly more waiters than customers, and a wine list where, quite honestly, on any given page, all the wines listed are likely to be over $100 wing columnists...

...even with friendlies it is a strain to be barraged with questions by the press...

...LlbertyPress/LlbertyClasszcs 7440 North Shadeland, Dept L102 Indlanapohs, IN 46250 to redistribute wealth, isn't that what you're saylng~ Isn't the basic thrust that the government has to do more 9'' "It's there, but I wouldn't want to say it," said the Archbishop of Milwaukee "How are you going to get people to take this sertously~" asked a reporter from National Public Radio The poor THE AMERICAN SPECTATOR JANUARY 1985 8 man sounded desperate, as though socialism were done for if the bishops' agenda was not enacted within the next few weeks...

...There were to be found press 7 "We find ~t a disgrace," said days Hobart Rowen of the Washington dnfted idly back and forth from Godlva Chocolatler of Bruxelles and every dehctous episcopal word The medm have been going it alone Post was on TV grumbhng that of Weakland, "that 35 nulhon Americans for years, after all, bmng the hand that course there was all this poverty, what hve below the poverty level [now over w~th the bishops' refusal to endorse feeds them and admmng themselves m the m~rror for furmshmg such a birth control, and there was gratitude chsmterested critique of the United for you (See what you are hkely to get New York to Sures Jewelers, and late lunchers hngered over their Frozen Grand Mariner ~latrs with chocolate sauce...

...Phelps whipped together and in the spirit of enterprise created a product that is first class All of us know that in Slhcon Valley Yankee ingenuity is creating high-grade products that the world has never seen before To the north of the valley that same ingenuity is turning out one of the oldest products known to the species Homo sapiens, and it Is equally welcome As I am wont to say these days, hberahsm has cracked up The bishops go their way The Yupp~es go theirs If I have to choose I shall go with the Yuppies Their wine may not be blessed but m northern Cahfornla it has created economic growth, the surest way to allevmte poverty [] IDEAS i Embassy Room, right next door to Twigs At this function a member of the working press was heard to announce that the bishops were progresslng, but that John O'Connor of New York was something of an embarrassment (An atavism ) by Tom Bethell kits, plasuc labels, free coffee, and an utterly devout media flock, at one end of the room was a whole forest of TV cameras perched on tripods, and at the other a dais, a lectern, a long table, and five concerned bishops illuminated by megawatts Archbishop Weakland delivered his indictment from center the mconsequenUa...

...The total bill came to $2,500, but the maitre d' wouldn't tell me [] whether this included the tip...

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...The Theory of Moral Senttments is now Contains a general lntroductaon and schedules of textual variations between editions as well as extensive editorial notes...

...They left one pausing fatally, scratching one's head for the possible meaning, and so gave him the edge...

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...Free action must be based on conscience, formed on the basis of solidarity with others . . . . " That was a part of his reply, at least...

...At the end the Milwaukee man asked him: "Are you going to recommend that women increase their voice in the church...

...values up to $105.00 with Trial Membership) tees met and s e c r e t a r i a t s communicated...

...It struck me that on the economic issues Weakland was ever so slightly out of his depth (nothing unusual there, of course), but I had to admire him for the adept way were conciliations and arbitrations, and a meeting of an ERA Interdisciplinary Committee...

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...When Archbishop Quinn of San Francisco spoke to a gathering about the Vatican-ordered inquiry into the status of religious life in America, Rita Hofbaur, public relations nun for the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, wearing a tweed jacket and knee-high leather boots, lishe came up with these smoothly worded, mystifying replies...

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...Finally it was my turn--one question only--and so I asked Weakland how actions compelled by the state could have any moral component...

...But for the time being, by and media would be bound to turn and large, the press was ready to dehver an snap at them, too In fact, w~thln a few ovation And so they did played on the keys...

...By the time it was all over the bishops must have felt that they had received their just reward: acres of press attention, a lengthy summary of their pastoral letter in the New York Times, favorable editorials all over the place, including the New York Times and Washington Post', and perhaps best of down K Street, NW and took their a bottle...

...Perhaps forgetting Archbishop Weakland's injunction, that "we cannot rest content with a full stomach when all those people out there are starving," they proceeded four blocks ican qualms with all-is-well whitewash...

...This was Smith's first book It was called by Edmund Burke, "one of the most beautiful fabrics of moral theory...

...A theologian might have understood Weakland's reply, but I'm afraid it eluded me...

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...I stood close by the Archbishop as he was interviewed on camera...

...palm-court tinkhng of a cocktail party piano Guests I arrived in ume for Archbishop Outside, down m the foyer, there was stage Rembert Weakland's Sunday press conference...