Posted on 09/03/2009 6:57:00 AM PDT by TaxachusettsMan
Cardinal O’Malley issued a forceful defense of his decision to participate in the funeral of Senator Kennedy; revealed the substance of a conversation he had with President Obama: Catholic bishops are “anxious to support a plan for universal health care, but we will not support a plan that will include a provision for abortion or could open the way to abortions in the future.’’
But the most impassioned part of the cardinal’s blog post is a de facto plea for greater civility among Catholics when discussing divisive issues. He warned against “harsh judgments’’ and attributing “the worst motives’’ to people with whom Catholics have disagreements, saying “these attitudes and practices do irreparable damage to the communion of the Church.’’
O’Malley said he regretted Kennedy’s support for abortion rights. But “As archbishop of Boston, I considered it appropriate to represent the church at this liturgy out of respect for the senator, his family, those who attended the Mass and all those who were praying for the senator and his family at this difficult time. We are people of faith and we believe in a loving and forgiving God from whom we seek mercy.’’
Raymond Arroyo at EWTN wrote: “The prayer intercessions, endless eulogies, image of the cardinal reading prayers, and finally Cardinal McCarrick interring the remains sent an uncontested message: One may defy church teaching, publicly lead others astray, deprive innocent lives of their rights, and still be seen a good Catholic, even an exemplary one.’’
Also praise. Rev. James Martin, associate editor at America magazine, wrote, “Cardinal O’Malley’s decision to attend the funeral is large-hearted, compassionate, pastoral, sensitive and, above all, Christian.’’
(Excerpt) Read more at boston.com ...
Good post.
Your one-liner questions are becoming a little tiring. Do you have a point to make?
Militant
Very, very well stated!
Militant
Certainly not I who posted the story, nor any Catholic with even minimal catechetical formation (yes, THAT’s another whole problem nowadays).
As I said in my opening comment:
With or without a Cardinal present, the issue is NOT the Funeral Mass, as long as it is celebrated ACCORDING TO THE PRESCRIBED NORMS:
the Catholic funeral, unlike Protestant “memorial services,” is not a celebration of the life of the deceased,
but the celebration of Christ’s sacrificial death upon the Cross, once and for all for the sins of the world, and the application of His infinite redemptive grace to the departed soul for the forgiveness of that person’s sins.
That is Catholic teaching (disputed at the “Reformation” and denied by those who departed from the unity of the Church at that point and still).
When the ACTUAL TEXTS are prayed, that is what they say.
The principal problem with the Kennedy funeral Mass was the Jesuit celebrant’s constant editorializing, mutation (mutilation) of texts, and ad-libbing in PRAISE of, not PRAYER for, the deceased, and the interpolation of non-authorized texts as well as the composition of original texts that were simply DNC talking points (and the shameful use of children to proclaim them, another whole issue).
The Cardinal’s problem, and really indefensible, is neither his charity nor his compassion but his negligence in seeing to it that Senator Kennedy got nothing less, but surely nothing MORE than any Catholic ought to receive at the time of death: the Church’s prayer (not Father Monan SJ’s or the DNC’s prayer) for forgiveness and peace.
As Boston talk show host and Herald columnist Howie Carr says regarding immigration: “I don’t ask for special treatment: I just want to be treated like any other illegal immigrant.” Catholics could now start asking for “no special treatment, Your Eminence: just treat me like any other Kennedy!”
Don’t forget the granting of an annulment after so many years of marriage and three kids...as well as his well documented abuse of women...
“Hypocrisy breeds atheism...” John Paul II
Your Eminence, it's almost to the point now that nobody cares whether you support or oppose particular issues. Non-Catholics are certainly not going to be swayed by your opinions and by the way "Catholics" voted in the last election, neither are members of your flock (assuming they even know your opinions), now largely dispersed and lost.
He warned against “harsh judgments’’ and attributing “the worst motives’’ to people with whom Catholics have disagreements, saying “these attitudes and practices do irreparable damage to the communion of the Church.’’
Wow! You mean when a Catholic university bestows an honorary degree on a vocal advocate of abortion, some Catholics actually get angry?? What a shocker!
You mean to say that when prominent politicians who self-identify as "Catholics" tirelessly promote the cause of abortion and do everything in their power to undermine the position of the Church, with no public sanction or rebuke from their pastors, some Catholics get fed up??!! Amazing!
These are not just "disagreements", Your Eminence. This is a matter of life and death! Unborn children are being slaughtered by the millions and you're waffling about "disagreements"? Catholics are sick of this "business as usual" attitude from the Church hierarchy.
“Our ability to change people’s hearts and help them to grasp the dignity of each and every life, from the first moment of conception to the last moment of natural death, is directly related to our ability to increase love and unity in the church, for our proclamation of the truth is hindered when we are divided and fighting with each other,’’ he wrote.
It's called defending the faith. The only reason we are "divided and fighting with each other" is because there is a significant cohort of Catholics, of whom Kennedy was the ringleader, who are spending every waking moment attacking the Church and undermining its fight for the unborn. That is why we are fighting. The Church is under attack. I'll be "civil" to the lost who seek help, to men of good will, the genuinely searching and even those of other faiths who attack the Church because they've been fed untruths and brought up on anti-Catholic propaganda. I won't be "civil" to those who seek to destroy the Church from within!
How's the touchy-feely approach going anyway, your Eminence? Any sign that Pelosi is about to recant? Any sign that Biden has got the message? Any sign that 40 years of detente with the world has opened the eyes of abortionists? Any sign that the "spirit of Vatican II" has touched the hearts of the abotionists, the CINOs and the gay marriage crowd?
When you get a moment free from closing parishes and straightening out clergy abuse cases, give some thought to how our forefathers died and were martyred in defense of the faith.
Part of the role of the Church is to be a Moral Compass to the world, yes. Look at the compass for direction or don't. It's your choice. Free will.
I’ll challenge Ted’s approach to living and doing the right thing and following my Church’s teachings any day of the week.....
I am truly tired of the “American” Catholic Church.
And nice try in attempting to marginalize any criticism of The Swimmer - and hey, we judge people every day in COURTS OF LAW based on a Judeo-Christian code of morality and ethics - nice try....
Well, good for you! But you’ll have a very long wait in this world for the “should be” things.
Keep the faith!
No, a seeker or grace. I pray for it everyday.
The Pope needs to take a trip over here and clean house.
". . . remain a popular Cardinal"? I think it's a lot too late for that -- after his ham-handed method of closing parishes and schools, in particular.
He's probably campaigning (however misguided his method) to keep Catholic hospitals from having to perform abortions. I don't know what they're doing about the MA law requiring the morning-after pill to rape victims. I do know Catholic Charities here stopped providing adoption services because of the law requiring non-discrimination against gay adoption. The Catholic Archdiocese is under siege, largely by self-styled "Catholic" politicians.
I don't think so -- as of the day before the funeral, the radio was reporting that the Chancery said he would be in Denver Saturday. I think if he had chosen to be there, he would have said the Mass.
“The words of the Bible and of the Church fathers rang in my ears, those sharp condemnations of shepherds who are like mute dogs; in order to avoid conflicts, that let the poison spread. Peace is not the first civic duty, and a bishop whose only concern is not to have any problems and to gloss over as many conflicts as possible is an image I find repulsive.”
—Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, 1997
Redemptorist, actually.
I certainly hope the Cardinal gets a summons to the Vatican for a public rebuke. That would go a long way to reestablishing Church doctrine. (Note: I’m not Catholic but have been attending Mass with my wife, who is Catholic, for nearly 30 years). It’s time for the Pope to lay down the law to these renegades in the Catholic clergy over here.
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