Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley, who blogged affectionately about Kennedy’s sister, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, after her recent death, has declined requests for interviews about Kennedy. He has issued only a cautious written statement, saying “we mourn the passing of Senator Edward M. Kennedy’’ and describing the senator as “often a champion for the poor, the less fortunate, and those seeking a better life.’’ But O’Malley has been sharply critical of Catholic Democrats who support abortion rights, and has said that for Catholics to vote for such politicians “borders on scandal.’’http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/08/28/kennedys_complex_legacy_as_a_catholic/?page=2
That may not be all that we would wish but it is quite a slap to not have him saying the funeral.
Is Father Pfleger available?
I'm quite happy, if Cardinal O'Malley doesn't say the Funeral Mass, because that's a real put down in the religious/political realm. Of course the MSM will make it out to be some sort of canonization, but it will be a SECULAR one.
As Salvation said, we have no idea whether or not this man repented of his sins during the course of his illness, so we are in no position to judge the state of his soul. The fact that he's not having a big splashy funeral in the Cathedral with the Cardinal presiding, says a LOT, in my opinion. I believe the Cardinal is trying to avoid the scandal of the big religious hoopla for the man, since he so clearly defied the Church in so many ways in the last 30 years. Having the funeral in a smaller church, without the presence of the Church hierarchy will accomplish that, in my opinion. It will be like the funeral of any other Catholic, except in the eyes of the media. I read, though, that the media presence is going to be kept quite small. I'm not going to watch any of it, so I'll have to find out here on FR what happened.