Kennedy's Funeral Further Damages the Church's Credibility

There is much truth to the adage that many of our wounds are self inflicted. This has been especially true for the Catholic Church in the United States and the Archdiocese of Boston in particular. Recall that the clergy sex abuse scandal first came to light there because of their egregious nature and the laxity of the then Archbishop Bernard Cardinal Law in handling them. According to statistics the Church is still reeling from the aftershocks.

On Wednesday the Church further diminished her credibility when it was announced that a Mass of Christian Burial would be celebrated for Senator Edward M. Kennedy at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Basilica. It was also announced that President Barack Obama would be the eulogist.

Senator Kennedy, along with President Obama have been the most pro-abortion and pro-embryonic stem cell research politicians in the nation. As a matter of fact, Senator Kennedy refused to vote for Supreme Court nominees Robert Bork and Samuel Alito for fear their appointment might lead to overturning Roe v. Wade. These positions are inimical to Catholic Church teaching and throughout the years, the American hierarchy has railed against Catholic politicians such as Kennedy who hold such views. Some bishops have even advised them not to receive Holy Communion -- an action just short of excommunication.

In recent days the spin-doctors have done their best to portray Senator Kennedy as a devout Catholic. Stories of his visits to church in order to pray for his ailing daughter Kara, a cancer survivor, and reports of his personal religiosity have been widely circulated. The media has also noted numerous visits by priests to the Kennedys’ home during his illness for the administration of the sacraments, presumably including confession and even the celebration of a private Mass in Kennedys’ living room. There is no report, however, of repudiation of his voting record or sorrow for his obstinate refusal to adhere to Catholic morality on two of the most important life issues. An important part of the Sacrament of Penance, along with sorrow for sin, is to try to repair the damages that our sins have caused. Certainly, enough time had elapsed between the diagnosis of the Senator’s terminal illness and his death for him to make amends and to alleviate some of the scandal. Yet, there is no indication that this has happened.

A Mass of Christian Burial is a privilege -- not a right. It is for those who have lived a Christian life. Senator Kennedy’s scandalous disregard of his Church’s teaching and the destruction of human life that may be attributed to his voting record make his funeral celebration quite dubious. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states: “Scandal is an attitude or behavior which leads another to evil… and that it takes on a particular gravity by reason of the authority of those who cause it”(n. 2284-85). For such a person the Code of Canon Law says, “Church funeral rites are to be denied to the following (unless they gave some sign of repentance before death): manifest sinners to whom a Church funeral could not be granted without public scandal to the faithful” (c. 1184.3). How many Catholics have been led astray by Senator Kennedy and other prominent pro-choice Catholics? And, finally, how many other Catholic politicians will be emboldened to emulate his behavior because the honor the Church is extending to him?

Some will argue that the Church, by its very nature, always gives the benefit of the doubt to the sinner. Yet, even such an act of charity calls for a pastoral solution so as not to mislead others and cause greater harm. In this case, a subdued funeral service should be offered for the repose of Senator Kennedy’s soul. It should be made clear that, as it is the purpose of every Catholic funeral, the Mass is being celebrated to beg God’s mercy for the deceased. But, then even this solution would be meaningless when the nation’s most pro-choice president ever is permitted to eulogize his ideological soul mate in the Church’s sanctuary. Imagine the accolades that will be lavished on the Senator Kennedy’s character and career!

The Church’s credibility has once again been undermined by the hierarchy of the Church in Boston. This scandal is even bigger than the one enabled by Cardinal Law because of its bad message and long ranging implications.

I also think this pope is great. I think Catholicism is the one True religion founded by Jesus Christ Himself and guaranteed by him. IO support the Catholic Faith. I refise to make excusez for apostates like Teddy or his phony relatives who make believe they are Catholic while having more damage to genuine Catholiciosm than any other factor in American life.

I love Catholicism. It is phonies like the Kennedys and their apologists that I despise. If and when any of them return to the Faith, I will reconsider and not one moment earlier.

I got up on the Cathooic side of the bed this and every other morning. If you cannot distinguish between Teddy and an actual Catholic, you are in over your head (something that has been known to happen on occasion among those who just cannot resist the sCamelot of it all.

Oh, and my grandmother spent many of her early years working for James Michael Curley who sent Honey Fitz packing from public life. She despised Honey Fitz and other Castle Irish scum who were Teddy's ancestors. And a good thing too!

Let us not confuse the Faith with its temporary diocesan administrators. Do you enthuse for Roger Cardinal McPhony of LA (weeping oceans of tears over Teddy's demise and B-XVI's rise) or do you "hate the Church?" False dichotomy.

Do you congratulate Bernard Cardinal Law on the spiffy job that he did in playing musical priests as his response to the, ummmm, late unpleasantness between many of his subordinate clergy (i.e. Slattery and the late Geoghegan) and the boys they raped or do you hate the Church? False dichotomy.

The fact that you had an Irish grandmother obviously did not insulate you from Kennedy disease any more than his Irish great grandmother protected Teddy from being a rank apostate. The trouble lies not with the Faith but with those who, like Teddy and his apparent admirers, are will =ing to redefine the Faith so that they can claim Kennedys to be part of it.

The likely next Kennedy to hold that Senate seat is Joseph (Bobby's spawn) who married Sheila Rauch (an Episcopalian) in a sacramental Catholic wedding but then wanted to turn her in for a later model (one of Joey's Congressional Office, ummm, secretaries). Sheila studied up on Canon Law and would not go quietly. Cardinal Law's toadies apparently had no problem granting Joey his requested annulment so he could marry his new main squeeze in a Catholic wedding and keep the myth of Kennedy Catholicism alive for future gulling of Catholic practitioners of Hyannisport mania. He will now have to explain how Catholic he is to continue his invalid relationship with wife #2 AFTER the Rota (Vatican Appellate Court as to matters marital) overturned the decision of the Hoston Marriage Tribunal and granted Sheila the requested decree ruling her marriage to Joey valid. I can't wait to hear his rationalizations when wife #1 goes on the attack and Joey and his defenders explain that, as a Kennedy, he can make it up as he goes along, stay with "wife" #2 and spit on the Vatican while playing make believe "Catholic."

I am certainly pugnacious, aggressive and maybe even vituperative. OTOH, I uphold the standards of the Catholic Faith as you do not. Hence you are in no position to claim I have been "downright nasty" toward Catholicism. Going after hypocrisy and evil in lefty AmChurch circles lay or clerical is being good to the Church and hard on her enemies.

If you slurp up the Kennedy Kool Aid, then you are no friend of the Catholicism they have undermined, whatever you may say. As Daniel Patrick Moynihan once said: You are entitled to your own opinions but not to your own "facts." When tradition is restored, it will be over the dead bodies of Klan Kennedy and their sycophants.

“If you slurp up the Kennedy Kool Aid, then you are no friend of the Catholicism they have undermined, whatever you may say. As Daniel Patrick Moynihan once said: You are entitled to your own opinions but not to your own “facts.” When tradition is restored, it will be over the dead bodies of Klan Kennedy and their sycophants.”

Before I was laughing at your Sid Vicious routine. Now it no longer humors me at all. You don’t know me from an Adam’s Apple, buddy, and my reply wasn’t even directed to you, but you sure picked up the cudgel and ran with it, didn’t you. My cheery outlook has now soured, soured to equal your obviously constant soured outlook.

In my opinion, you give Catholics a bad name with your holier than thou my way or the highway outlook, which is really tasteless. You can hurl your 50 words per second outlook into cyberspace, that doesn’t make what you say valid. When I replied about this situation, it was never to defend the Kennedy Clan and some of their shenanigans over the years, it was to defend the Church’s position in regard to a funeral mass and how the Church should or should not have handled it. And somehow I think their decisions supersedes yours. I never expressed any love for the Kennedys, their brand of Catholicism, or the examples a few of them have presented as role models, or should I say the lack thereof. But you paint with a broad brush. The whole Kennedy clan are not Teddy. You know no more than I how many of them feel about their religion and the practice of it. Their numbers are legion and unless you can channel all of their inner beliefs and feelings, do not generalize.

Eunice Shriver, with the Special Olympics she created and sponsored her whole life was a magnificent woman. Even old Teddy did a few good things in his life, along with too much bad, but you are so myopic you can’t separate the wheat from the chaff. Too much hatred is eating up your soul. Teddy has now met his maker, and his punishment or lack thereof is sealed. Only God knows. Not you. You’ll find out if you end up one day in the same place he is at currently.

Meanwhile, cut the nasties out of your speech, stop making assumptions as to what you believe you know about me because you don’t, and I suggest you go to church and take care of your own shortcomings. You need a day in the pew reviewing your need to spout venom with some regularity and your propensity towards self righteousness. Get off your high horse.

Oh, by the way, this is it for me, I don’t wish to speak with you on this topic because you can not rationally address it for whatever your internal reasons are. Go sic yourself on someone else. I want my good mood back. Think I’ll go read my Traditional Latin Mass magazine in order to purge my brain of the bilge that was dumped into it by a bitter fellow Catholic. Enjoy your evening.

Would that be the Victoria Reggie Kennedy who divorced her own husband to marry similarly divorced Teddy and then join him in playing Make Believe Catholic and Make Believe Marriage? You certainly bear little resemblance to those who produce Latin Mass magazine.

Be sure to post for us any article in Latin Mass that praises the late Hyannisport whale. Eunice was another matter and a verrrry Catholic and very good human being.

That having been said, we shall see how delighted you are when, inevitably, as a member of the Boston formerly Catholic "royal" family, the apostate Joey starts pontificating in his confused hallucination that bearing the surname Kennedy makes him a religious authority.

Unlike Ted the Swimmer, little Joey has fewer chips in the game to inspire tears and flapdoodle unless and until he loses two socially similar brothers to assassination. Maybe the GOP should run Sheila Rauch Kennedy in Massachusetts. She has a demonstrated track record (though belonging to the church of Henry VIII and the Right Reverend Mr. Vicki Gene Robinson) of standing up for the indissolubility of marriage. With her there would be at least hope of support for the babies and that marriage be between one man and one woman. Not only that but her name in the race would confuse the Demozombies of Taxachusetts.

Bad news. I am closer to Latin Mass magazine than you may think and I attend one every week. No, I don't know you personally but somehow I will survive.

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