Ill Cardinal Receives Honor

Ailing Cardinal John O’Connor smiled and joked as he was presented in New York with a proclamation awarding him the Congressional Gold Medal, the nation’s highest civilian honor. Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Vito Fossella (R-N.Y.) presented the framed proclamation to O’Connor, 80, at his archdiocese residence. The medal will be presented to the cardinal in a few months, once it has been minted.