Even a broken clock is right twice a day

You might want to bookmark this, because it won't happen often -- the ACLU has done something sensible and reasonable. Following the death of Pope John Paul II, President Bush ordered flags to be flown at half-staff at public buildings until after the funeral. President Bush has issued similar orders following the attacks of September 11, the explosion of the space shuttle Columbia, the death of former President Reagan, and the tsunami disaster in southeast Asia. Former presidents have ordered the flag to be flown at half-staff following the death of other world leaders. The ACLU has indicated that the order is appropriate in this instance because the pope is a world leader. That is a sensible, common-sense reaction for which the ACLU should be commended.

One would think that a group known as the Interfaith Alliance would be similarly appreciative of a gesture to honor one of the world's great religious and political leaders. Unfortunately, that would be wrong. Rabbi Jack Moline, vice-chair of that organization in Washington, D.C., claims that the move makes him "uncomfortable." He stated, "It strikes me as being a little too close to putting a religious leader on a par with government officials." This seems odd from an organization that claims to "stand for participation in the political process by people of faith . . . stand for the view that all the different faith traditions should have a voice in our nation's public life . . . stand for inclusion and diversity in American society . . . [and] stand for healthy interaction between religion and government."

And as for putting the pope "on a par with government officials"? The pope, uniquely in the world, is both a religious leader and a government official. The United States already has an embassy to The Vatican. The Holy See has a permanent observer mission to the United Nations. The ACLU has displayed more tolerance for religion than the Interfaith Alliance in this case. There is a God, and miracles still happen.