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What people are omitting, however, is not only the fact that Kennedy is getting a big splashy funeral of the type that implies approval, but that Obama is being permitted to speak from a leading position in front of the Church...even though eulogies are not permitted at a Catholic funeral and homilies by someone who is not a priest or not Catholic are not permitted.

Ok, I'm genuinely confused by this. I'm not Roman Catholic, but my wife and her family are. When her grandmother died, the funeral mass was held in the Cathedral of the Assumption in Louisville KY, and all three of her sons gave eulogies.

As I understand it, the canons say the homily must be given only by a priest or deacon, and that it must be centered on the readings (three principal readings: Old Testament Lesson, Gospel and Epistle: The Word) at the Funeral Mass. Although the homily will of course allude to the deceased, it is not supposed to be a "eulogy" (reminiscence and words of praise) so much as a lesson recalling the Chrstian understanding of death, judgment, eternity.

Many churches deal with this canon by allowing a family member to give a eulogy, not at the pulpit located in the sanctuary,, which is reserved for the priest, but at a lectern, at the end of (or after) the Mass. I gave a eulogy in this way for my father after his Funeral Mass.

It seems clear that Obama will be giving a full-fledged oration. This is overt political exploitation and a travesty.

I don’t know when your wife’s grandmother died, but it’s possible that the current set of instructions weren’t out at that time. The limitation was imposed as a result, as usual, of the abuses; funeral masses were turning into a three ring circus of long meandering anecdotes, people waving a can of the deceased’s favorite brand of beer, and even a steady stream of jokes about the dear departed.

Strictly speaking, I doubt that eulogies were ever allowed officially, simply because the Mass is a liturgical event and there really isn’t room for these personal insertions in it. However, as with everything else in Church in the 60s and 70s, everybody did whatever felt good to them at the time.

Even currently, while the instructions are generally followed in most places, I still hear of three ring circus funerals. In other words, practice can vary.