Travelling recently, we stopped at a local parish where the walls are draped with a score of banners, encouraging virtues like generosity, toleration, service, and friendliness. My gut-reaction was that all those virtues are cheerfully embraced by socialists.

It was a quiet Saturday afternoon. I found myself in my parish's chapel, yelling at God, angry at him for calling a dear friend to move away. Between tirades came a reply that echoed in the silence.

Over the past year, Prime Minister Mark Carney has become a politician. It is galling to see the former member of a parish social justice group so reserved about condemning an unprovoked war.