Is there no one we can trust any more?
Cardinal Cormac Murphy O’Connor, head of the Catholic Church inEngland and Wales, sometimes says the wrong thing at the wrong moment.
Butwhen he spoke at Christmas Midnight Mass about the breakdown in trustwhich has resulted from the credit crunch, the nation as well as hiscongregation knew exactly what he meant.
Few of us understandmoney, and so we entrust whatever we have got to those who are supposedto do so – politicians and bankers.
When, in consequence of their folly or greed, we find both thenation’s affairs and our own in desperate straits, the sense ofbetrayal goes very deep.
Trust is fundamental, not just tomoney, but to all human affairs. We need to believe that those incharge of all the institutions in our society know what they are doing,and tell us at least part of the truth about what is going on.
When they do not, the consequences are painful for all the relationships on which we depend.
My wife said sternly on Wednesday night: ‘Have you put out the mince pies and your letter for Father Christmas?’
I was forced to admit that, just this once, I had not.
This has been a season in which it has been a trifle difficult to believe that Santa would climb down the chimney.
More than that, a lot of real people in whom we want to believe have let us down.