Thank you for your explanantion regarding the Kennedy funeral. While I could not disagree more with your participation and reasoning, it is admirable that you make yourself accountable to the flock.

Noting that you cite the dates of your profession and ordination in your blog I feel compelled to point out the obvious. Bastille day was caused, in part, by abuse of the common people by the governing powers of the day who included many of the Church heirarchy. Cardinals, bishops and even priests, who were closely aligned with the secular governing officials. Unfortunately, the religious were swayed away from Truth because they so closely intermingled with the powerful politicians of their day.

The beheading of the Baptist was simple. John was sent as a herald to call people to repentance. He had the courage to speak the Truth when it was not politically expedient. He called a sin a sin. His reward for refusing to bow to the political machine of the day was death.

May God guide you in your office.

A mother of many.

Thank you for writing so beautifully and strongly, and for participating in Senator Kennedy’s funeral. Your presence was a great example of leadership, kindness and Christian charity, notwithstanding the criticism you have received by those who are apparently without sin and so enjoy casting stones.

There were opportunities to deny Senator Kennedy communion, to have a fatherly chat with him prior to this denial so he could repent. Instead your appearance at his funeral appeared to OK his actions of abortion support. Please read this again….to OK his support for abortion. Others at this funeral are also Catholics in Name Only. The Senator could have had a private funeral and another clergy celebrating….it would have been more appropriate, it appears to me.

This past June I moved from Northern California where 75% of the citizens are fallen-away Catholics..I moved to the St. Louis, MO area. Lots of Catholics and lots of Churches. Now I can participate in the Holy Mass and receive His body and blood each day. I am truly blessed. I pray and hope others do, also, that I can act and speak the True Faith to the point of death. The moved was specifically to have a choice of Catholics in my life. I was becoming more and more like those people living around me. I needed the support of other Catholics.

This is the year of the clergy and your appearance at the funeral is not an indication that you understand what supporting the Faith is about. You might have been shot, might have received nasty letters, etc., etc., etc., from dispointed citizens. You would have stood up for the Faith…..and died for the Faith.

I recall what the Holy Father said just a couple of years ago to US clergy visiting Rome…”….speak and act to justify your becoming a martyr….” or words to that effect.

Thank you for reading my email.

Sincerely, Patricia Cornell

Kennedy received communion at a Papal Mass and had it delivered to him. This is contrary to what the Church teaches. He was an enemy of the Church and should not have received communion.

May the Spirit continue to bless you in your ministry to the People of God, the Church.

Peace be with you!

To say the truth is to say of what is that it is, and what is not that it is not; it is the adequation of the mind with reality. You did not bury a repentent sinner – you honored a pro-abortion politcian.

Your excuses lack truth, and willfully misuse and abuse the concept of Christian charity to mask the fact that a lifelong dissident of your church and an enemy of the very concept of the sanctity of life was lauded before the world with your blessing. He was not buried in Christian charity; he was virtually canonized.

Once again, a “prince” of the Catholic Church has done his very best to set back the pro-life cause.

Faithful Catholics are confused by his
fawning over public officials and his need
to be recognized by them.

“Be not afraid” the late Pope proclaimed
to the world.

Cardinal Omalley reminds
me of the apostles before Pentacost.

I will pray for your courage to stand up boldly for the Truth. To frame the issue of love and forgiveness against standing up for Truth is a false premise.
I, for one, am tired of this silly argument. This is not an either/or issue. Yes, Jesus did forgive sinners, but also required repentance and to “…go and sin no more”.

When I was discussing Catholicism with a Protestant friend, I pointed out the unity in Catholic faith and morals. She remarked that she doesn’t see much unity. I have to admit, that she certainly has a point.
Satan is attacking the Church from within and doing more damage than any non-Catholic can do.
We must learn to truly love…by speaking the Truth WITH LOVE. If we fail to learn how to do this as individuals in the church, then Christ’s body will remain broken.

I saw many comments on this blog that portrayed Catholics who criticized your silence about Sen. Kennedy’s very vocal work in favor of abortion and homosexual marriage as being zealots, vindictive, mean-spirited, Pharisees, etc. I simply don’t see any of that attitude in any comment. I saw great respect and charity and thank everyone for their thoughtful comments.

In His Love.

But, I do know that abortion is wrong, it is evil and there is no excuse for it.

A Catholic funeral for Ted Kennedy? Sure, no objection here.

But, why was it televised? Whether or not he repented of his actions before his death, the funeral should have been a private affair. I don’t recall seeing a public funeral for his sister, Eunice, who was so pro-life and who lived her life as a devout Catholic and as such would have been a great example of a Kennedy who actually follows church teaching.

Part of the letter that Senator Kennedy sent to Pope Benedict was read at the funeral. The parts that were excerpted seemed to be excuses not sorrow and nowhere have I read that he asked forgiveness for his life actions.

We must remember that Ted Kennedy was pro-life until it was politically expedient to become pro- death.

I have also read the some priests talked with the Kennedy family so that they could become comfortable voting for abortion laws. If the teachers of the church did that, they have even more to answer for than Senator Kennedy.

If it looks like a scandal, walks like a scandal, it is a scandal.

As for your participation, you have to do what your conscience tells you and I do appreciate that.

Sincerely in Christ,

Miriam

I think there can be some disagreement with regards to the Mass happening, but I have not heard of one Canon Lawyer who believes that the GIRM and Canon Law were followed during the Mass.

The Priest offering the Mass changed the text of the Mass in clear violation of Canon Law and the GIRM. For example, he changed “his and him” to a non-masculine word. The GIRM and His Holiness have said over and over that eulogy’s are not allowed at Mass. Yet, you allowed it to happen. I could go on and on for pages, but you get the point.

I certainly support your presence and participation at Senator Kennedy’s funeral. I too share your concern regarding Church unity and the polarization we are experiencing in the Church.

As a Cardinal in the Church, I would hope that you would carry your experience back to Rome. The Holy Father and Curia need to understand the kind of people they seem to be listening to. Like wolves in sheep’s clothing…they claim to be more Catholic than the Pope….seemingly very devotional and tied to tradition (small “t”)….yet filled with all the vile things Jesus spoke about in last Sunday’s Gospel. Thankfully, they are a minority in our Church. May charity and forgiveness….which you exemplify in your ministry, and which was the hallmark of Jesus’ ministry, lead the way!

I have but one criticism of your participation. The manner of the liturgy was exactly what many of the priests in your diocese are supposed to limit.

How is a typical parish priest supposed to tell a widow or grieving child that they cannot have eulogies for their husband and father when they have seen this on national television? There is the appearnace that there is one Church for the wealthy, famous, and powerful, and another for everyone else.

Pax Christi

Grace, in the first comment, expresses my thoughts. I am inclined to ask ‘Why was Edward Kennedy NOT given a Catholic funeral?’

The instant ‘canonizations’ and eulogies didn’t help Ted Kennedy’s soul one bit. They showed a lack of genuine Christian charity and have no place at a funeral Mass. President Obama should have given his eulogy at the wake in the Kennedy Library, not during Mass.

I prayed for the soul of Ted Kennedy and asked the people to do the same at my Masses last week here in the Philippines.

As we say in Ireland, ‘God rest his soul’.

Fr Sean Coyle
Bacolod City
Philippines

Thank you for your thoughtful blog on the Kennedy Funeral. In reading the reactions and comments on this funeral I could not help thinking that much of the bitterness comes from a bitter history. For years, many faithful Catholics felt rejected, ignored and at times betrayed by the clergy on questions ranging from liturgy to life issues. Thus, a lot of automatic negative emotion comes out anytime these themes arise. God bless you for being the one to courageously live out and teach the faith in the face of so much reaction.

With gratitude, Fr. Vincent Nagle

Not only did our holy father Francis demand that his brothers and sisters pray for the dead, but he also commanded that we not judge others. It was the mind of our holy father Francis that we see Christ in every man from conception to natural death. Men are sinful and our holy father knew this. But he also knew that only Christ and his mother are sinless.

Let us not forget that our holy father Francis was a friend to the faithful and to the Muslim Sultan who opposed the Catholic faith. Why would any Catholic expect a son of St. Francis to be less compassionate and hold on to a negative view of an individual, even one who was wrong on important issues? That was not the example that Francis taught to his sons and daughters.

Our holy father Francis also taught his sons to obey the Gospel. The Gospel commands us to have mercy. It commands us to forgive sinners. It demands that those who have no sin throw the fist stone. Finally, but not less importantly, St. Francis taught his sons and daughters to be totally poor. Poverty is not only material. But more essentially poverty is detachment from our self-righteousness. Yes, we are bound to the Truth. And as Cardinal Sean has stated, Senator Kennedy’s legacy for the poor would have been complete, if he has also upheld the rights of the unborn, but he didn’t and only he knew why. We cannot know the conscience of another. We can only judge actions, not consciences.

Poverty requires that we strip ourselves of our own opinions and see men and women through the eyes of Christ, as the beloved sons and daughters of the Father for whom his son died and whom he has redeemed. As Franciscans it is our duty and our solemn promise to God, the Church and St. Francis to live the Gospel as Francis lived it and to obey the holy rule that commands us to embrace Christ on the cross.

It is imperative and appropriate for a Franciscan brother, such as Cardinal Sean, to obey the Rule of St. Francis and respond to the late Senator and to his family and friends with fidelity to the words of Christ on the cross by showing mercy. It would have been very disappointing to see a Franciscan Friar hold on to his own feelings toward Senator Kennedy’s voting record and disregard the words of the Gospel, “Forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Sometimes our opinions are the wealth that will keep us from entering the Kingdome of Heaven.

Fraternally,

Br. Jay Rivera, OFS

Ted Kennedy voted twice to oppose a ban against delivering a baby breech up to the neck, stabbing the baby in the nape of the neck, suctioning out the baby’s brains, collapsing the baby’s skull with forceps, and delivering the dead baby.

and we Catholics who oppose abortion are the judgmental ones?

no wonder these are so many cafeteria Catholics.

You had many excellent reasons for being at the funural Mass, but the above implied statement to the TV viewers, like mysef, is the only real issue. How can I, now, belive the Churches sincerley bellieves its’ position on abortion and gay marriage, if all I hear is talk?

John

What we do know with certainty is that he did not publicly recant the positions he held on issues that were not consonant with the Catholic faith.  I dare say that it would have been utterly disastrous for the pro-choice movement if he had done so:  the “liberal lion” ending up to be a turncoat (although, in honesty, he would be a return-coat, coming back to the pro-life stance he held earlier in life).

Maybe he wanted to publicly recant, but did not get the opportunity to do so.  But what causes me sorrow is to know of the “lost opportunity” of his public repudiation of abortion.  It makes me second-guess (to my deep sorrow) whether he was truly repentant on the matter, whether he confessed it with true contrition, if he confessed it at all.  This, among other things, has resulted in a scandal surrounding the highly-publicized funeral Mass.

How come the only non-liturgical reference to praying for the senator’s soul came from a non-Catholic…namely, Barack Obama?

How come the only one who gave reasons to pray for the senator’s soul came from a non-Catholic…namely, Barack Obama?

Nobody that I know of decried the senator’s right to a Mass of Christian Burial. On the contrary.

Nobody that I know of had any problem with you or any priest participating. On the contrary.

The problem I’m struggling with is that no cleric or speaker even hinted that it might be a good idea to pray for Edward Kennedy’s soul. Except for — ironically enough — Barack Obama.

This, I believe, is where we failed our brother in Christ, Edward Kennedy.

Folks, even if we weren’t asked to do it by any priest or post-Mass speaker, please pray for the happy repose of his soul.

Thank you.

Eternal rest grant unto him O Lord, and let the Perpetual Light shine upon him. May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

My first time on your blog…. I am so grateful for your comments. As a life long practicing Catholic, I find myself searching for another community to belong to due to the intolerance now taking center stage with conservative catholicism. Please stand tall in your beliefs and help us reconcile with the Church. We miss our Mass, our community, our brothers and sisters on the Vine, but cannot accept the intolerance that has the louder voice.

Please soldier on with all of us in mind. And thank you for being at Ted’s funeral. He has been a source of comfort for so many disadvantaged brothers and sisters among us.

Sally Fiore
Jackson NH, formerly from Tewksbury MA

I have been pondering Pope Benedict’s words in his new encyclical “Charity in Truth”:
“To defend the truth, to articulate it with humility and conviction, and to bear witness to it in life are therefore exacting and indispensable forms of charity.”

To speak the truth is an indispensable form of charity, especially when that truth is unpopular. Our society does not want to hear that the unborn child must not be killed.

Despite whatever good he did, Senator Kennedy spent the better part of his long political career actively working for legislation that would favor abortion. That is not a judgment; it is part of the public record. He even voted in favor of partial-birth abortion, a horrendous procedure in which the baby’s brains are sucked out.
He did immense damage to the pro-life movement. Is that of any consequence in the eyes of the bishops?
While we pray in charity for his soul, it is indeed a deep scandal for the Church to imply that his record on abortion is of no consequence. I realize you were in a difficult position, but I am deeply disappointed that the overall impression given by the funeral was that it doesn’t really matter if a Catholic politician ardently supports abortion.

Who is speaking up for the millions of innocents who have been slaughtered and continue to die every day?
While Ted Kennedy had a magnificent funeral, these innocent children are thrown into dumpsters. And no one weeps.

Sen. Kennedy worked tirelessly to enable the slaughter of the unborn,
including voting twice to deny compassionate medical care to babies born
alive during an abortion. This is no mere “failure to support”. This is cruel and evil and it is merciful to call evil acts what they are: evil.
He actively opposed the Church in the gospel of life and many died as a result because he had enormous influence. Many followed where he led. Many died as he voted.

His pastors failed him, in my opinion. As the scandal of obstinacy grew in public, where was the merciful, public pastoral correction?

Thank you for presiding at the funeral. Thank you also for this blog post in which you call us to civil dialogue with others with whom we disagree. The Internet Catholic websites are full of nasty, confrontational commentary.

I do think that Senator Kennedy’s funeral resembled a “canonization” at some points – there was too much praise for him and too much political propaganda in the General Intercessions. Some of this would have been more appropriate at the ceremony on the night before. Nevertheless, I hope the Mass inspired people to pray for him and for all the deceased.

May he rest in peace. And may we turn peoples’ hearts back to the least among us, the unborn.

Peter

I believe in liberty and freedom for all and when the doctors want to kill (or let die is the euphemism) this will only be another just cause our leaders will confound. Our church leaders are simply no match for the rotten secularists in this society.

We need to guard against giving our government, but especially our President any more power whatseover. Haven’t you noticed
yet that he almost always distorts the truth?
aht he rarely tell the truth.

I am proud of my Church for honoring a man like Ted Kennedy. Although he staunchly supported abortion, he was a man that represented so much good that it would have been ignorant and offensive to our country to not offer him a Catholic burial. The Kennedy’s made me proud to be an American and especially an Irish American.

I am only 25 years old so I wasn’t around to see Camelot’s rise and fall but I do remember my grandmother back in Mayo telling me how she cried with the world when he was taken from us. Shortly after they cried again for Bobby. No other family has affected the world like they have, and affected it for the better.

Cardinal, you made me proud to be an American, a Catholic and an O’Malley. Thank you!

Ian O’Malley
Chicago, IL

Thanks for your words and wisdom.

God Bless

The present association allowed Cardinals O’Malley and McCarrick to justify the near-canonization of Sen. Kennedy that passed for a funeral mass on Saturday to emphasize how big-government social programs, promoted avidly by the Senator, are so in line with the teachings of the bishops that this backing alone compensated for the Senator’s unstinting—and very public support—for the agenda of the National Abortion Rights Action League. This is casuistry.

It is time, for instance, that someone at the USCCB discovers that the panoply of Democratic programs enacted under the aegis of “The Great Society” have produced counterproductive results. Prime evidence #1: The stunning increase in out-of-wedlock births. Simply voting repeatedly for large federal programs aimed at fixing the host of social ills affecting the nation should not be considered prima facie evidence for “santo subito.”

I cannot but feel torn in this issue. As a Catholic boy, I was taught by the Jesuits, but much of my faith leans towards the traditional. As such, my disappointent was not with your being there, not with the fact that Sen. Kennedy was granted a Catholic funeral Mass, but with the circus that this Mass became. The lack of reverence for the Holy Sacrament in the tabernacle by those reading the prayers of the faithful come to mind immediately.

As you know, the Rite of Christian Burial is a solemn moment where we as Catholics put our fullest expression of faith to the test. These are the points in our lives where we put our faith in everlasting life with Christ to the test as we pray for the soul of the departed. We hope that our loved ones will do the same for us. This Mass, however, lost its most spiritual significance for the people around the world who believe in Life after Death and who believe in the Body of Christ.

Your being there was important to the Church as a public outreach. We are to forgive everyone as Jesus did. Those who fail to try to forgive are not honoring that prayer we say at every Mass, the one Jesus gave us himself, chronicalled by St. Mathew. Please understand that from my perspective, as a sinner, that I want forgiveness. I want peace. I want the Mass to be what brings me closer to my Savior, not something that is viewed on the outside as a circus.

I would love to see your comments about the Mass. You have no need to explain why you were there, in my opinion. Your are a man of God, your role is to spiritually lead us, especially when it comes to forgiving those in our midst. I just would like explanation how in your diocese you allowed a Mass to become a circus. This is my only objection.

Peace to you.