Angus King: “I was very proud to call Cardinal O'Connor a friend. He was a man of great vision, a man of great dignity, a man of…”

“I was very proud to call Cardinal O'Connor a friend. He was a man of great vision, a man of great dignity, a man of great moral capacity; and certainly he was a giant of the church. In many ways, too, he was also the ultimate New Yorker. He had a fighting spirit. He had a sense of self-deprecating humor. He took issues very seriously but never took himself seriously. At a time of moral relativism, Cardinal O'Connor had the courage to stand for lasting truths and immutable principles. He spoke out on behalf of the unborn. He spoke out on behalf of working men and women. He spoke out on behalf of the impoverished, those suffering with AIDS, and he always made it clear to all men and women, no matter what their religious faith, that they had an obligation to look beyond themselves, to look for those who have been left behind and take care of them.”