[Jeff Chandler]

If the Holy See believes that the United Nations is to become a "moral center", they are mistaken.

What a profound misunderstanding of human nature!

[Paleo Conservative]

If the Holy See believes that the United Nations is to become a "moral center", they are mistaken.

The Vatican suffers from the same malady that all organizations and countries with rulers who server for life do. As the ruler gets the end of his life he wants to create a legacy. Also the ruler becomes enfeebled in both mind and body and can no longer be trusted to make sound judgements, or underlings are actually in control pulling strings behind the scenes.

[bejaykay]

Jeff says, "If the Holy See believes that the United Nations is to become a "moral center", they are mistaken."

The Holy See did not say that the UN is a moral center but rather called for it to become a moral center. There is a big difference here. There is a place for international law. Nations could not do business with each other without some kind of format under which to transact this business and settle disputes. Ideally that body (the U.N. or other international bodies) should be moral in the sense of acknowledging that the laws of God our creator and redeemer supercede any other. In reality there is a definite positive role for international dispute resolution. And calling for such bodies to be moral is not a gross misunderstanding of human nature but a profound wise understanding of same. We believe we are born with original sin. Put simply, men will misbehave. Understanding this ahead of time, it is wise to try to resolve disputes in the simplest manner possible.

Now having said that I don't think the U.N. currently does a very good job in this role. The Vatican may or may not think so either. But having international bodies is not intrinsically wrong and does not misunderestimate human nature.