Denying a funeral mass is an extremely rare act. Most members of the Mafia are given funeral masses and buried in hallowed ground. Obama is giving a eulogy, not the homily. Allowing someone to give a eulogy is not an honor, like the Notre Dame scandal. The church is demonstrating disapproval through not having the Cardinal of Boston celebrating the Mass.
Plus he’s being buried in Arlington, not in consecrated ground and Pope Benedict XVI silence speaks volumes. He has completely snubbed the Kennedy’s.
May a eulogy be given at a Catholic funeral?
Catholic funeral rites do not allow space for a eulogy.9 The focus of a Christian funeral is the paschal mystery: the suffering, death, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.10 The funeral rites are not so much a celebration of the life of the deceased, but a prayer that the life and death of the deceased may be joined to Christ in heaven. Because the focus of a Catholic funeral is first on God, eulogies do not have a place within the funeral liturgy.
The Church’s rites do allow a member or a friend of the family to speak in remembrance of the deceased prior to the final commendation.11 This is not a full eulogy, but a brief reflection proportionate to the other parts of the funeral rites
http://www.cuf.org/Faithfacts/details_view.asp?ffID=262
Paul Castellano, then head of the Gambino Mafia "family" was denied a Catholic funeral by John Cardinal O'Connor on the basis that a Church funeral would be a scandal. This despite the fact that Castellano in his entire mob career was responsible for fewer killings (if any and of less innocent persons, if any) than Ted the Abortion supporter was guilty of each morning since 1973 before breakfast. I believe that anyone arguably Catholic ought to be able to have a funeral Mass. It should be a very private affair however when we are marking the death of notoriosos like Teddy. No cameras. No live coverage. No lying eulogies. No glad handing or photo ops out front. No circuses of any kind.
AND, after the private Mass for the few Catholics left in that family, the corpse should be taken out to be disposed of at sea in an upside down midnight blue 1967 Oldsmobile 88 4-door sedan redecorated with a different painting of a dead and dismembered aborted baby on each body panel save the one reserved for a picture of Mary Jo so that there will be no question of the identity of the remains if ever found. Eulogies take place with distressing frequency at Catholic funerals despite the fact that they are apparently forbidden by Church law. Now that would mean that Sean Cardinal O'Malley himself ought not to be giving eulogies at the funerals of even distinguished and holy Catholics. Charitably speaking, that would not be a description of the late Hyannisport whale. For the most part, eulogies take the content of the Pelagian heresy: "We know that our dear brother has now gone to heaven and we hope we will meet him again in the sweet bye and bye." Balderdash and drivel. This is of a piece with changing from the previous black vestments at funeral Masses to cheery white ones to celebrate Unitarian-style the world-beating wonders of the deceased.
If one did not know that many go to hell, one would not be expected to learn it from the modern funeral liturgy. Hell is soooo, ummmm, medieval and downright icky. I can just imagine the Obamunist's eulogy and how little it will fit with the track record of pro-abortion Chappaquiddick Teddy. For that matter, if Sean Cardinal O'Malley had a spine, Obama would be told publicly and forcefully that his presence is not allowed in a Catholic place and particularly not in the very presence of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. To allow him to even enter a Catholic Church is an abomination as well as an Obamanation. B-XVI should request O'Malley's resignation and send him off to do genuine Franciscan things like caring for lepers or AIDS victims or even household pets as St. Francis might have.
That having been said, may God have mercy upon his soul and may the perpetual light shine upon him and upon his track record to facilitate the indictment and/or impeachment, trial, conviction and lengthy imprisonment of his eulogist and the corrupt cronies of both the eulogist and the recently departed senator for life.
God bless you and yours.
How many of these technicalities come through to the Average Joe? It is like a visitor to Japan who fails to recognize that some obscure gesture of his host indicates disapproval of the visitor’s ignorant manners.