The Pope wasn’t hearing Ted’s confession and wasn’t called upon to give or deny Ted absolution. Ted wrote the Pope a letter for no discernible reason, and the Pope wrote back an inoffensive letter. Which was then read over the grave by Cardinal McCarrick as though it carried some sort of meaning.
Kennedy died pro-abortion, with no sign of repentance.
Rome gave him masses at his own house, and treated him as a son of the church, and what one does constitutes the evidence of what one really believes, so why should he think he really needed repentance, any more than his RC supporters do? Rome shows what she really believes by treating them as accepted members in life and in death, despite the interpretation of others .