"Empire State Building: No lights for Mother Teresa"I'm not exactly "in an uproar" over Blessed Mother Teresa being blackballed by the Empire State Building's owners. For Catholics living in America, that sort of thing tends to go with the territory. And, things are improving: trashing a Catholic school is treated as a crime these days. (March 18, 2009, May 26, 2010)
The Associated Press (June 10, 2010)
"When the Empire State Building lights up, reaching 102 stories into the Manhattan sky, people lift their eyes and guess what that night's colors might mean - a holiday, a charitable cause, maybe a Yankees win or a birthday.
"But sometimes, color turns to controversy.
"Tens of thousands of people are in an uproar about the building owner's refusal to light New York City's tallest skyscraper in blue and white to honor Mother Teresa in August on what would be her 100th birthday...."
Back to Mother Teresa of Calcutta and the Empire State Building.
That impressive skyscraper is private property. The owners like to light it up for special occasions, like communist China's 60th anniversary. Also Eid al Fitr, Easter, and other holidays. They're real big on cultural stuff like that.
The reason that they aren't going to light up for Mother Teresa is that they've got a policy against that sort of thing:
"...But the real estate mogul said the privately owned building 'has a specific policy against any other lighting for religious figures or requests by religions and religious organizations.'..."They've lit up for Cardinal John O'Connor, Pope John Paul II and Martin Luther King Jr. - which I suppose was different.
(AP)
I'm not at all convinced that the owners of a privately-owned property should be forced to celebrate something or someone they'd rather ignore. It'd be nice, in my opinion, if the folks who own the tower wanted to light up for Mother Teresa: but it's their building, their lights, and their decision.
And I think that dark tower is a good reminder of who stands for what.
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