Yet he was treated as a member in life and in death, even receiving an ecclesiastical funeral, Canon 915 being interpreted as not disallowing it, and a recent letter Ted wrote to the Pope to the pope, delivered by Obama (if the ACLU ever knew) who gave the eulogy, was read at his graveside, in which he ]Kennedy] insolently asserts he “never failed to believe and respect the fundamental teachings” of his church, and tried to be a faithful Catholic, etc..
The closest thing we get to any kind of contrition is the ambiguous, “I know that I have been an imperfect human being, but with the help of my faith, I have tried to right my path” [evidence needed!], before he goes on to to defend his wonderful works, including universal health care. Not a word of remorse about supporting abortion or promoting homosexual rights, or indolence and a welfare state.
In his response, the pope did not censure him at all, but in the response, written, as usual, through a senior Vatican official, it states,
“He was saddened to know of your illness, and has asked me to assure you of his concern and his spiritual closeness. He is particularly grateful for your promise of prayers for him and for the needs of the universal Church."
The Holy Father has read the letter which you entrusted to President Barack Obama, who kindly presented it to him during their recent meeting. His Holiness prays that in the days ahead you may be sustained in faith and hope, and granted the precious grace of joyful surrender to the will of God our merciful Father. He invokes upon you the consolation and peace promised by the Risen Savior to all who share in His sufferings and trust in His promise of eternal life.
Commending you and the members of your family to the loving intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Holy Father cordially imparts his Apostolic Blessing as a pledge of wisdom, comfort and strength in the Lord." "(http://www.politicsdaily.com/2009/08/29/ted-kennedy-to-pope-benedict-i-am-writing-with-deep-humility/)
Sounds like everything was copacetic. However, if he had converted and become a very conservative evangelical, then i am sure real concern for his soul would have been expressed.
Per Kennedy, I was thinking more of Mary Jo Kopeckne and his latter divorce (I cannot call it an annulment). I have no excuse for the preferential treatment of nominal Catholic politicians. I think it is a scandal. Perhaps he was forgiven but those press releases are not a good indicator. Lies, lies, lies
“Resorting to ad hominem attacks and attributing motive (bigotry!) in lieu of an argument is a sign of desperation, but in light of the evidence this kind of response indicates it applies to the accuser.”
Once one gets through the nonsense, the semantic content of that sentence reduces to, “So’s your old lady.”
The remark to which it refers is not an ad hominem attack, nor does it attribute motive. It is, however, an accurate description of your modus operandi—which is to say, of your actions.
The Holy Father is a man who temporarily occupies a post within the Church. Quote whom you may, it remains a fact that the sinful men who commit the actions we’re discussing are acting without the sanction of the Church and against her teachings.
Your refusal to admit what is before your eyes is not heroic, or even principled, but only obdurate.
“In the eyes of the traditionalist wing of the Church, however, Kennedy should have been asking the Pope for forgiveness. The Vatican’s official newspaper L’Osservatore Romano reported Kennedy’s death, praising his work on civil rights and fighting poverty, but noted that his record was marred by his stance on abortion.”
http://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1919064,00.html
“The subsequent response from a papal aide offering Benedict’s prayers for his health, according to a veteran ambassador to the Holy See, was likely of a pro forma nature. Such letters are typically handled either by the office of the sostituto, the No. 2 official in the Secretary of State’s office or by the Pope’s private secretary. “It’s very rare to have a letter with the Pope’s own signature,” says the diplomatic source. In any case, coming in July, it was clearly not a response to Kennedy’s death.”
http://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1919651,00.html
Just so people aren’t further confused, though, let’s look at the blessing that the Holy Father conveyed to the dying Ted Kennedy.
“He (Pope Benedict) was saddened to know of your illness, and has asked me to assure you of his concern and his spiritual closeness. He is particularly grateful for your promise of prayers for him and for the needs of the universal Church.
“The Holy Father has read the letter which you entrusted to President Barack Obama, who kindly presented it to him during their recent meeting. His Holiness prays that in the days ahead you may be sustained in faith and hope, and granted the precious grace of joyful surrender to the will of God our merciful Father. He invokes upon you the consolation and peace promised by the Risen Savior to all who share in His sufferings and trust in His promise of eternal life.
“Commending you and the members of your family to the loving intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Holy Father cordially imparts his Apostolic Blessing as a pledge of wisdom, comfort and strength in the Lord.”
No reasonable person would interpret that boilerplate response to a request for prayers as condoning Kennedy’s many crimes. On the contrary, the Holy Father prays that Kennedy will be granted the precious grace of joyful surrender to the will of God our merciful Father.” IOW, that Kennedy will repent before it’s too late.
The Holy Father decided that honey would have a better chance of working than bile. Pope (emeritus) Benedict is very wise.